Onihime VS: Alternate ending
by Awesomenorwegian
Summary: Here's the deal. The ending to Onihime VS sucked. It was too rushed, the characters didn't get enough development, in short, tons of potential down the drain. As a protest, I've decided to write this, an alternate and longer ending. Click if you agree, becuase if you do, then you need to read this shit. I promise, if not a master tale, at least a better ending than the original.
1. The target is Kashiwagi Setsuna

**Okay, so, I know perfectly well that I'm not supposed to post this as a freezing story, but considering that Onihime vs does not have a category of its own, this seemed to make the most sense, since Im Dal Young also wrote the freezing manga. I'm sure somebody's going to complain, but right now, I'm so pissed that I don't really care. The ending to this manga sucked, and I'm going to do something about it, the only way I know how. My story begins after chapter 25, volume 4. Enjoy. **

XXXXX

The three of them were gathered in an old, closed down factory in the industrial district. The princess was seated on a simple, wooden chair, gazing absentmindedly into the air. Her two underlings sat on the ground, looking at their master with unease.

About a month had passed since they had been defeated by the hands of the three oni princesses. They should already have returned to the demon world, where Erionelle's father, the king of the zombie onis, were no doubt waiting for word of their victory. He would not be pleased when he learned that his daughter had been beaten. In fact, he would probably throw them all into the pit and watch them be devoured by demon hounds, if they were lucky.

Cecily, the magician, cleared her throat. "Eh, princess?"

Erionelle did not respond.

"We can't just leave it like this. If we slink back to the demon realm with our tails between our legs, we'll have shamed the entire clan. We have to man up and beat them somehow."

"Excellent idea. Why don't we charge their apartment right now and get our asses beat again", Lilith said mockingly (**here I'm referring to the oni with the whips. Here name was never stated in the manga, so I just came up with one).**

The little magician glared at her, teeth bared. "What's the matter, gotten the fight kicked out of you already?"

"Shut up kid, you got beat way harder than me. You were flattened like a leaf when I had to scrape you off the ground!"

"Silence", the princess commanded.

Her servants immediately quit quarrelling, looking eagerly at their master.

"As you said Cecily, we can't just leave things like this. Father has no patience for failures. Remember what happened with my brother?"

Cecily and Lilith winced.

"That being said, we cannot afford a head-on charge since…", her voice lowered, "since I clearly can't compete with the White Princess when it comes to pure strength."

Her servants knew how much their master must loathe the words coming from her own mouth, but could not think of anything to say. It was an undeniable fact that the White Princess Kanna had completely outclassed Erionelle in their short fight.

"So, we will have to change our approach."

Cecily raised her hand into the air eagerly. "Oh, oh, why don't we kidnap that human weakling. If we have the carrier of the Banrikou heart, we'll have an advantage!"

"We should just kill him!" Lilith hissed, twining her whip between her fingers. "And then get out of here. The princesses will have failed if they lose the heart!"

"We will target Kashiwagi Setsuna", Erionelle said slowly.

Her servants looked at her eagerly.

"But we will not kill him."

XXXXX

"Really, Kanna-san", Setsuna said, resigned. "You can't just beat up other people because they offend you."

They were standing beside the school building. Kanna had just brutally trashed a couple of seniors who'd made the mistake of making sex jokes about her within hearing distance. Now they were both unconscious, lying beaten and bloodied inside a garbage container.

"As a princess of the royal oni family, I can't overlook open insults like that", Kanna said, tossing her long, blue white hair.

"But… you're supposed to be a teacher… and you just broke that guy's back."

Kanna waived his comment away like a fly. "Meh, a few Band-Aids is all they need. A quick trip to the infirmary will fix them right up."

"What needs fixing is your brain, you brute", said a voice behind them. They both turned to see Shouko approach them, hands on her waist. She stopped a few meters away, observing the scene before her with quiet haughtiness. "And you're supposed to be a teacher? Don't make me laugh."

"My, my", Kanna said sweetly. "Clearly the brat have never seen how we onis deal with insubordinate low-lives in the demon realm. I merely gave these gentlemen a little lesson in respect."

A vein pulsated in Shoukos temple, but for once she kept her calm. Instead of retaliating, she turned to Setsuna. "Hey Setsuna, I need your help with something. Care to leave the cow to sort out her own mess and come with me?"

"Uhh", Setsuna said uncertainly, eying Kanna, who waved generously in response.

"By all means, go with the kid. I need to get rid of the evidence anyway, we can't have me fired from this job, can we?"

As it turned out, Shouko wanted him to help her out with some shopping, something he meekly agreed to, even though he'd looked forward to lunching with his sister all day. She was making curry.

After buying some things at the Akihabara, the local center, Shouko suggested(or rather, ordered) that they should take a drink. She carefully avoided the café where Rena worked, taking him to a smaller one, not far from her apartment.

Sipping a glass of cola, Setsuna hoped desperately that Kanna would leave some curry for him, although that seemed highly unlikely, her humongous appetite taken into consideration. Shouko picked her green salad without much interest, secretly studying him each time he turned to look out of the window.

"Hey, Setsuna…"

He started. "Yes, Arima-san?"

She didn't look directly at him, her gaze was fastened to her food. "How much longer are those onis going to live with you?"

Her question made an impact on him. How much longer? That would depend on how long it would be until his Banrikou heart had developed completely. The contract he'd signed had stated that he would be allowed to live for one year. It had been almost nine months since Kanna and Rena had moved in. He was almost at the end.

"Not for much longer", he said softly.

Shouko's head tilted up, and she looked at him directly. "You're saying that they'll be gone soon?"

"Yeah", Setsuna said, preoccupied by the realization that he would be dead in a few months' time. What should he say to his sister? Should he ask Kanna and Rena to fake and accident where he allegedly died? Should he tell her the truth? How could he not have thought about this sooner?

Shouko seemed very eager all of a sudden. "You mean that they'll leave for the demon world and never come back?"

"I don't know if they'll come back. Probably not."

"And you're completely ok with that? Er, I mean, you've lived together for quite some time now. "

Setsuna forced a smile on his lips. "Yeah, I'll be fine." _It's not like I'll be able to miss them after I'm dead, after all. _

Shouko laughed loudly. "Of course you don't mind. What sane person could possibly stand living with those monsters! I bet you've been wanting them to go away for some time now, right?"

"N-no", Setsuna protested. "It's not like that!"

"Then how is it really?" Asked a soft voice behind him.

Setsuna froze. That intonation… He turned slowly. Erionelle, the zombie oni princess, was standing right behind him in her human form, looking down on him with those empty, dark eyes.

"How do you truly feel, Kashiwagi Setsuna? Are you really indifferent about the faith that awaits you, three months hence?"

Shouko glared at the oni with a mix of surprise and annoyance, until she recognized the zombie princess. "Oh shit, you're that zombie girl!"

"Correct", Erionelle said without taking her eyes off the wide-eyed Setsuna. "You are Arima shouko, are you not? Hina's master? Please leave. I have something that I need to discuss with Setsuna."

Shouko leaped up from her seat, raising her fists. "Like hell, bitch! Setsuna is my slave!"

That statement made Erionelle look at her. "Your slave?"

"That's right!" Shouko yelled cockily. "He's my servant, and I'm never going to give him up to a filthy demon like you!"

"I see", Erionelle said while stepping around Setsuna's chair. "Then I shall only have to kill you to make him mine, right?"

The word "kill" knocked Setsuna out of his temporary shock. "What? No, she's not really my master Erionelle-san, she just-"

Shouko cut him off. "Shut up slave! Why are you getting your panties in a curl? Do you think I'm afraid of this bitch?"

"You should be", Erionelle said, stretching her fingers.

That made Shouko lose it. "You bitch of a devil! I've had enough of you monsters messing with my life! I'm going to kick your ass!" And with those words, she charged, jumping forward to deliver a roundhouse kick to the oni's temple.

Setsuna shouted a warning, a waiter screamed by the counter and several heads turned. Then, Shouko was dangling in the air, Erionelle's hand around her throat.

Setsuna rose halfway from his seat, panicked. He had to get help!

As if she'd just read his thoughts, Erionelle said: "Don't even think of summoning the princesses to your side, Kashiwagi Setsuna, or I'll break this person's neck."

Setsuna froze again.

"Nnngghh, fucking… bitch!" Shouko hissed, kicking Erionelle frantically in the stomach. The zombie oni did not even seem to feel it.

The café's entrance door was kicked open, and Erionelle's two servants appeared, eager grins on their faces. "Kill her, princess", Cecily begged eagerly. "Make her pay for what she did to us!"

"Not yet", Erionelle said. "Do not fool around, apprehend Kashiwagi Setsuna."

"On it", Lilith yelled, producing her whip, seemingly out of nowhere. She moved so fast that Setsuna could not even begin to react. Within a few seconds, she had him tied down.

Shouko saw Setsuna get dragged away from the corner of her eyes. Enraged, she began to pound at Erionelle's face. She might as well have been hitting a granite rock. Erionelle lowered her arm, so that the two of them came face to face. "Tell your friends, the oni princesses, that if they wish what's best for Setsuna, they'll stay away. He is _mine _now."

Shouko's face was slowly getting purple, but she managed to spit out one word. "Never!"

Erionelle tilted her head to the side, observing the girl in her hand with cool interest. "Strange. You express such anger at this boy being taken from you, even though you've said that he's just a servant. Are you really so proud that you can't stand anything being taken from you?"

Shouko spat in her face.

Erionelle wiped it off slowly with her free hand. "You should not have done that." And with those words she threw the dark-haired girl through the window, and into the busy street.


	2. Memories

While the doctor kept her sedated, Shouko Arima relived her entire life.

Her father, a wealthy, American entrepreneur met her mother in Tokyo almost eighteen years ago through a business deal. After getting her pregnant, he'd married her by the foot of mount Fuji, where her childhood home had been, and here he'd buried her after she died giving birth to Shouko. Overcome with grief, her father had returned to his homeland, leaving the newborn Shouko with a governess, four maids, and a large house outside of Tokyo. Aside from the occasional presents and short, formal letters, Shouko had had no contact with her father during her childhood, which seemed so short, now that she looked back at it.

Shouko did not know for certain why her father had abandoned her. After getting old enough to ponder this, she'd guess that he blamed her for his beloved wife's death. He had begun to feel remorse, of course, after many years had passed and he'd gotten old, and finally, when she was fifteen, he'd invited her to come and see him. For the very first time.

She had seen pictures of him in her own home, and many a night she'd laid awake, dreaming about running away from home, cross the Pacific and travel to America to meet her lost father, so on the flight over she had to force herself from bouncing in her seat in pure eagerness.

Meting her father, in Chicago, was the greatest disappointment of her life. The pictures in her home outside of Tokyo had depicted a tall, handsome, laughing man, with one arm around his beautiful oriental wife. The man who met her when she walked into that great, wooden mansion was old, fat and bald, with a blonde, skinny woman who couldn't possibly have been older than twenty. She had allowed him to hug her awkwardly, she'd returned the blond woman's fake smiles, she stayed for a whole week, and then she had left.

The next time her father had invited her, she'd declined courteously, telling him she was sick. The second time, she said she needed to go on an important school trip. The third time, she hadn't even bothered to respond.

When she began to attend high school, the other students had flocked around her, drawn by her beautiful looks and the knowledge of how rich she was. Glad to finally have an apartment of her own, free from that damn bitch of a governess, she'd been relatively happy for a while, until she met _him. _

Setsuna Kashiwagi had been in her class for an entire year, and she had never noticed him. The boy at the back of the row, the boy with the glasses had been as good as invisible to her, until that day shortly after the beginning of the third semester when he had bumped into her while carrying a tall load of books.

He had excused himself desperately as he searched the floor for his glasses, but she had not answered him, because she'd been stunned, stunned to see her father before her, young and handsome again. Without those ridiculous glasses, he resembled the picture of her father as a groom so closely that it was almost unbelievable. After that, it seemed like she could not go anywhere on the school grounds without seeing him.

She did not really know why she'd started to bully him. Maybe it was the manifestation of her long built up anger toward her father, or maybe it was just a girl picking on the boy she liked. Either way, one day she'd found herself standing in the middle of the schoolyard, laughing mockingly, as her minions (she'd never thought of a single one of her classmates as friends) threw Setsuna's glasses to each other, while the tear eyed boy stumbled blindly back and forth.

Tormenting Setsuna became a necessity for her, or maybe it would be more accurate to call it an obsession. The more she saw him, the more she wanted him, and the more she wanted him, the more she bullied him. Having grown up under the care of a harsh governess, without any loving parents, she'd never received any real love. Thus, she had never learned to love someone back. And so the vicious circle had continued, until _that _woman walked in through the door and declared herself their new teacher. After that, everything had changed.

Seeing Kanna all over him that afternoon outside of the school building had introduced a new feeling she was completely unfamiliar with. Jealousy. And while this dark feeling grew, a demon had slipped into her, and made her do what she had wanted to do for so long.

XXXXX

Hina ran down the white corridor as fast as her short feet could carry her. Her Brand of Dominion told her exactly where she could find her master. She burst through the door to Shouko's room and looked around frantically. She was lying in a hospital bed by the window, covered in bandages.

Hina rushed to her said, sighing in intense relief as she realized that her friend was not in a critical state. She was badly hurt though.

Producing her magical pipe(**man, that sounds so stupid**), she focus the demonic energy inside of her around Shouko and preformed a quick healing spell. Before her eyes, the scratches on Shouko's face faded and then disappeared completely. Leaning closely, Hina poked her master's cheek.

Shouko's eyes flew open and she drew a quick, trembling breath. She turned her head to the side. "Hina?"

Hina had to fight a tear. When Shouko had been hurt, she'd felt it herself, like a knife piercing her heart. If Shouko had died from the injuries, so would she. But that was not the only reason she was so relieved to see that Shouko was fine. Not at all.

"Yes, Shouko, it's me. Everything's fine now."

Shouko turned and looked up at the ceiling with a strange, almost solemn look on her face. "I remember."

"What?"

"I remember what happened in the storeroom."

**AN: So that concludes chapter 2. I hope you liked my portrayal of Shouko, I thought this was the best of way explaining her behavior, the fact that she's estranged from her parents, and the reason for her infatuation with Setsuna since it was never explained in the manga. Next time, Setsuna and Erionelle is going to have a little chat. **


	3. An interesting conversation

Coinciding with Shouko's awakening several miles away, Setsuna regained consciousness himself. His head was still dizzy, courtesy of the drug they had injected him with after dragging him out of the café. Opening his eyes, he stared up at a plain, grey ceiling. He tried to move his arms and legs, but found them bound. Cursing softly, he shifted his position, so that he lay on his side, rather than his back, all to get a better view of wherever he was.

The room was about the size of a small apartment, and completely devoid of furniture, apart from the camp bed he'd been placed on. There were no windows, all the light came from a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. There was only one door, made of solid wood. These observations told him nothing. He could be anywhere in the city.

He tried to wriggle his arms free, but the knots were too tight. He began to sweat as the gravity of his situation began to sink in. The zombie clan could burst through that door any seconds now, to rip his heart out of his chest. If only Kanna and Rena were here…

His heart jumped. _Kanna and Renna!_ _Damn fool, you could summon them both with only a thought! _He closed his eyes, picturing them both in his mind, calling for them.

"Try as hard as you can to summon them. It won't work", said a monotonous voice behind him.

He started, and twisted his head around. Erionelle was sitting on the floor beside him, her back against the wall and her hands placed on her knees. She was in oni form now, he could feel the aura flowing from her. She rose slowly, without taking her eyes from him for a single second.

Setsuna was suddenly aware of the pressure of something cold against his neck. A second later, he realized that a choker of some kind of metal had been fastened around it.

"That choker is embedded with dark magic. It shrouds you, and prevent demons or oni from detecting the Banrikou heart", Erionelle continued, stepping so close to the bed that her knees actually touched its frame. "As long as you wear it, you won't be able to summon the princesses to your side."

They stared at each other for what seemed like a small eternity to Setsuna. Erionelle's eyes betrayed no emotion, anger, happiness, or even boredom. Setsuna was thinking desperately for something to say, anything to test the mood. She beat him to it.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

That took him by surprise. "I'm… excuse me?"

"The knots. Are they too tight?"

The randomness of the question made him blurt out a honest answer without thinking. "Yes, a little."

She bowed down and ripped the ropes apart, saying nothing. Massaging his wrists, he thanked her nervously. What was she playing at?

Erionelle seated herself on the bed beside him and said: "I have several questions that needs answering. I won't force them out of you, but it would be wise of you to answer."

He said nothing, but nodded slightly, staring forward.

"Why did you agree to become the carrier of the Banrikou heart?"

Setsuna did not see how answering that could cause any harm. "I was on the edge of a bridge, ready to jump, when this weird guy with a top hat-"

"The middleman."

"Yes, I was already going to kill myself when he offered me 10 million yen in exchange for my life."

"Why did you intended to commit suicide?"

"Because… because I was a burden to my sister. I felt useless and pathetic, bullied and powerless. I was born with a weak heart you see, and my sister had to pay for the medical bills. By agreeing to the deal, I could offer my sister somewhat of a repayment, you know?"

"In other words, you felt like you had nothing to lose."

He laughed a little. "Yeah, that would be about right."

"Why did you save me, when the white princess was about to violate me, I mean." Her grey skin seemed to darken a few shades as she said this.

"Oh, ehm, that was because you'd already lost. I… don't like seeing people beaten when they're already down. Besides, you could have easily killed _me_ before that fight, when we were having lunch."

She seemed to contemplate this for a while, then she asked another question: "That human girl, Arima Shouko, what is she to you? She called herself your master, even though you already belong to the oni."

"Ah, Arima-san is a bit special."

"Meaning?"

"Well, she's always repeating that. She didn't seem to like me much before, but after Kanna and Rena moved in, she's acted strange, well, _stranger. _I just don't get her." Speaking of Shouko reminded him of what had happened in the café. "Oh, the café, is Arima-san alright?!"

"She'll live", Erionelle said coldly.

"_She'll live? _Did you hurt her?!" He was angry now.

"I could have snapped that girl like a twig, but I went easy on her. I'm sure her pet have patched her up already."

"You had no reason to hurt her, you could just have knocked her out or something! And don't call Hina-san a pet!"

She turned to look at him abruptly, piercing him with her dark eyes, which were finally showing emotion. Anger. "I've had my servants investigate you, Kashiwagi Setsuna. That girl, Shouko, was the wirepuller behind all the bullying you suffered through in that school of yours, wasn't she?"

"That's… beside the point."

"No, it isn't." She hissed, and reached out and took hold of his left arm. He could feel the raw strength of her hold, and had to force himself to not flinch.

"No father, no mother, a sick body, and you've been kicked around your entire life, and now, you're defending the girl who made your life a living hell? Why?! Why aren't you angry? Why is it that you blame no one?"

"I… just don't want anyone to be hurt because of me."

She stared at him for a long time, still holding his arm. "You are a… strange being… Kashiwagi Setsuna."

And without warning, she pushed him down on the bed.

"Oh!" He exclaimed as she threw one leg over his body and placed herself on top of him on her hands and knees. She then proceeded to lift one hand, and placed it gently on his left cheek.

"Setsuna, I… think I love you."

He blinked. "What?"

"After you begged the white princess to have mercy on me, I've been thinking about you constantly. I don't even care about besting the princesses anymore, I just…"

His face was burning hot now, and the metal glove she wore felt like ice against his skin. Her fingers began to explore his face, travelling along his cheekbone, caressing his nose, touching his hair, until it finally returned to his cheek.

"I want to try something. Please stay still."

Her hair tickled him as her face slowly began to descend on his. Her eyes were wide open, and her lips slightly parted. When their noses were only an inch apart, she hesitated, and he open his mouth to say something, but the words were forced back down his throat when her lips met his.

She held them there for a second only, but that was enough for Setsuna, whose only experience when it came to kissing was his attempt to give Shouko CPR a few months back. His already warm face became scorching hot, and the sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest did not help either.

"Wha… why… how", he babbled.

The corners of her mouth went up a millimeter or two, forming a tiny smile. It suited her.

"As I thought", she breathed. "You taste so good."

What could have happened after that, we'll never know, because at that precise moment, Lilith came barging through the door. "Princess, the oni are approachi-", she stopped, taken aback by the sight that met her. "Oh, um, forgive me princess, am I interrupting something..?"

Erionelle got out of the bed, not flustered in the slightest. "How long until they get here?"

"Five minutes, tops."

"Has Cecily made the preparations I ordered?"

"Yes, she finished them just a few moments ago."

"Very well. Go to your assigned position and ready yourself. It is time to finish this."

"Yes princess, at once", her servant bowed and scraped while retreating through the door. She did not let go of Setsuna with her eyes while doing so though.

Erionelle flexed her neck quickly, and then produced her dark longsword out of thin air.

"What are you going to do?" Setsuna asked nervously. He did not like the way this was going.

"I will fight the white princess", Erionelle said while feeling the edge of her sword.

"Why?!" He asked desperately. "Is this still about the war between the clans?"

"Of course not. This is about you, and only you."

"Why?" He repeated, clutching his hands into fists.

"Because I want you, Kashiwagi Setsuna. I want to bring you with me, back to the demon world." She walked over to him and pressed one finger into his chest. "But as long as the Banrikou heart remains within you, the princesses will never give you up. It is their law. So if I want to keep you, I have no choice but to fight them. And that's what I'm going to do." She turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Don't you remember what happened last time?!" He shouted after her. "Kanna will kill you now, there's no question about it!"

"I remember", she said, still walking. "But this time, I have a plan." She stopped in the doorframe, and looked back at him. She seemed to struggle for a bit, then said: "Setsuna, when you saved me, back then, you called the white princess 'a good oni'." She looked at her feet and seemed almost shy when she asked: "Do you… think that a could be a good oni?"

Setsuna saw an opportunity, and seized it with both hands. "That depends on what you do now."

Her gaze lifted and meet his. They regarded each other for several seconds, looking for something neither of them could find. Then her face hardened.

"Then I suppose I'm a bad oni." She turned and closed the door behind her. He fell back onto the bed listening intently as she turned the key around in the lock and then walked away.

**AN: Yet another chapter finished. I enjoyed writing this, especially since Erionelle was my favorite character in the manga. Too bad she never really got her time to shine. I didn't really plan to have her kissing Setsuna in this chapter, but hey, you gotta do the fanservice once in a while. Next time: Epic fighting(hopefully). **

**Random rant: And why the hell aren't my story appearing on the freezing page? This gotta be costing me views. Dammit. **


	4. Rematch

**New chapter, the longest I've written yet! Read, review and tell me how you felt about it, so that I can improve. Constructive criticism is always welcome. **

The two Oni princesses flew across the rooftops like wraiths, barely visible in the dimming light. Rena went first, as her senses were slightly better than Kanna's, though it wasn't really necessary, as the smell of the zombie clan was so strong that Kanna had no problems following it herself.

Kanna had not worried too much at first, when a panicked Hina called and told them that the Arima girl was in the hospital. If Setsuna had been in danger, he'd have summoned them, right? But when Hina called again, and told her that Shouko said that the zombie clan had kidnapped Setsuna, she'd crushed the teacup in her hand like dry clay. She and Rena had exited the house immediately, without telling Mirei. No need to worry her.

The smell of the zombie clan had been all over the little café. The trail led southwards, towards the less densely populated parts of the city. The smell was getting stronger every second. They should be able to feel the essence of the Banrikou heart any minute now.

Kanna dug her feet into the concrete and launched herself over to another building. She landed, rolled to distribute the force of the impact, and then readied herself for another jump. Why, why had she not ripped that bitch apart when she had the chance? She should have known that this would happened. How could she have been so naïve to listen to Setsuna? He knew nothing, _nothing_ about the ruthlessness of onis. She should have ignored his crap and just whacked the bitch then and there. But she hadn't. And now, they'd kidnapped Setsuna. If they had touched the heart, if they had killed Setsuna, she would follow them to the end of the world. Even if they fled back to their fortress in the western, demon world, she would come for them, and slaughter any zombie oni that got in her way. And when she finally caught up with Erionelle, her death would last a week.

Ahead of her, Rena had perched herself on a tall chimney, watching something far below her. Catching up with her, Kanna studied the area beneath them. They were deep inside the industrial district, looking down on an old, closed down factory. The zombie clan's trail led right into it, but Kanna could not sense the Banrikou heart at all.

As if she was reading her mind, Rena fished out her exchange diary, and wrote with lightning speed: "They could have him shrouded somehow."

True, the zombie clan were no fools when it came to magic, especially the dark arts. It was also possible that Setsuna was not even in the building. It didn't matter, they would know for sure at any moment now.

"I'm going in", Kanna said, lunging into the air. She landed in front of the main entrance, a large steel door. Using her staff**(pillar would be a more accurate description if you ask me), she** battered the door, knocking it several meters away. She walked over it as she entered the building.

Inside was a large, empty room. The floor was covered with all kinds of junk, beneath an inch-thick layer of dust. An assembly line split the room in half. Erionelle stood on top of it, her hands resting on the hilt of her longsword, stone-faced.

Kanna let her gaze slide across her surroundings, but she could not see Setsuna, or Erionelle's minions. Walking slowly forward, she asked: "Where's Setsuna?"

"Upstairs", Erionelle answered with her usual monotonous. "Safe, away from you."

That stopped Kanna dead in her tracks. That was not what she'd expected to hear. "What? Safe from _me_?"

"Yes. You are planning on killing him within a few months, are you not?"

Kanna heard some noise behind her, and quickly twisted her head around to see what it was, but it turned out to just be Rena, walking across the battered entrance door. She stopped beside her sister, looking casually at Erionelle.

"What we do with him is our business", Kanna growled, not happy to be touching this subject. She had suffered many a sleepless night lately because of it. "He belongs to us, so hand him over before I finish what I started last time."

Erionelle lifted her longsword, spinning it in her hands. "You are welcome to try."

Kanna looked at Rena, and nodded at the stairs that led up to the second floor. It was time to divide and conquer. Rena nodded back, affirmative, and then ran for the stairs. Erionelle made no effort to stop her when the black princess zoomed past her. Her dark eyes were fixed on Kanna.

"She won't reach him."

Kana laughed. "Why, because your minions are going to stop her? Rena may not be me, but I seriously doubt your little goons present a threat to her."

"Setsuna belongs to me now. You're not walking out of her alive with him."

Kanna raised an eyebrow. "What, you're after the heart after all?"

"I couldn't care less about that damn heart. What I want is Kashiwagi Setsuna. I intend to bring him back with me to Adenbulk, where I will marry him."

Kanna gaped at her opponent for several seconds, the she broke down in laughter. "Oh, aha, hahaha, are you kidding me?! The feared zombie princess fell in love with little Setsuna?!" She clutched her staff, giggling hysterically. "You gotta be kidding me!"

Erionelle tightened her jaw. "I'm deadly serious."

"And you really think your father would approve of that? The guy who roasted his own son on a spit and fed him to his dogs for getting his ass kicked by a yokuai?"

"He will, when I bring him the head of the white princess."

Kanna laughed again. "Oh, I'm sure he would. But as we both know, I can whip your ass in a fight without trying. How much did it take last time? Two hits?"

Erionelle's grip around the sword tightened.

"Oh, are we getting angry now? Well, sadly for you kid, I'm vastly superior to you as a fighter, and this time…" She lowered her staff, a savage grin on her face, "…Setsuna isn't her to beg for your life."

"Have you come to fight, or do you intend to talk me to death?" Erionelle said shortly.

Kanna answered by launching herself into the air above the zombie princess. Erionelle threw herself to the side, barely evading Kanna's attack, which completely wrecked the assembly line. Kanna rose and turned to her enemy, who was crouching ten meters away.

"Looks like somebody's been doing some training", she remarked, walking towards the zombie princess with her staff across her shoulders. "I intended to kill you there, but you actually evaded it."

Erionelle circled to the side, still crouching. "I'll kill you today, white princess. I'll never let you have Setsuna."

"Big words from a small, small kid. Let's see how you handle THIS!" She lunged forward, staff first. Erionelle put up her arms, but the impact still knocked her into the wall behind her. The concrete cracked when she hit it, and she fell down on the ground, gasping in pain.

"Had enough bitch? Give up now and tell me where Setsuna is, and I'll let you go with both tits intact."

Erionelle got up slowly, spitting out a clot of blood. "Now, Cecily."

Kanna whirled around, just to see the tiny sage emerge from the shadows of a locker, silently mouthing a spell. The palm of her hand glowed with a red symbol. Within seconds, a barrier emerged, encircling both Erionelle and Kanna.

Kanna felt her demonic strength be drained from her limbs, and as a result, she had to let go of the staff, which tumbled to the ground, almost crushing her feet in the process. "The hell did you do?!"

Erionelle stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. "This barrier is one of the oldest curses invented by the zombie clan. It sucks out the energy from any demon trapped within it. You and I are both no stronger than a human right now. I have no intention of letting you crush me with brute strength like last time. The outcome of this fight will be determined by skill, and skill alone."

"Hoho, so you think you stand a chance just because you've leveled the playing field?" Kanna asked mockingly.

Erionelle raised her armored fists in front of her. "I don't _think _I can beat you, white princess, I know I _will." _

Kanna smirked. "You wanna fight? Or do you intend to _talk _me to death?"

Erionelle charged.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, Rena was trying to make sense of the maze she seemed to be stuck in. This part of the building consisted of a net of corridors. Many good ambush points here, and very little room to maneuver. She could see why the zombie clan had chosen this location for their stand.

She kicked open another door, quickly scanning the room inside. No Setsuna her either. She could not sense the heart, but since Erionelle obviously had not eaten it yet, Setsuna was most likely alive. If only she could find him. Preferably before she got jumped by the zombie princess's two underlings.

XXXXX

Setsuna tried peeping through the keyhole in vain. He could see nothing outside. Was that a loud crash he'd heard a few seconds ago? Did that mean that the fighting had already started?

He took a few steps back, before rushing the door and kicking it with all his might, which clearly was not too much as the door didn't get a scratch, while his leg now hurt like hell. Limping backwards, he looked for something to use. The only items he found were the bed and the light bulb hanging from the ceiling. He tugged at the collar(for the thirty sixth time), but was unable to bend it even a little, much less remove it.

_I'm useless! _He thought, punching the door in frustration. _Everyone is out there, fighting one another, and I can't do anything because I'm weak, weak! _"Weak!" He yelled out loud, punching the door again. As he did, he felt his chest explode.

Falling backwards to the ground, he screamed, clawing at his chest. His heart hurt like someone had just stuck a knife in it, and twisted it around. It burned, burned like flaming coal. His legs flew into spasms. It lasted about five seconds, then it was over. Just him lying there, soaked in sweat.

Trembling, he got up on his knees, still clutching his chest. He crawled over to the bed, as slowly as possible to avoid another fit, and leaned against it. _What was that? What the hell is happening to me?_

XXXXX

Rena could no longer hear any sounds behind her, no loud booms, no sounds of anyone being smashed through a wall or something. Which meant that the battle was probably over, something that made her uneasy. She'd rather hear them go at each other, knowing what it meant, rather than this uncertain silence. Kanna should have won easily, so why hadn't she caught up with her yet? Best to find Setsuna and get out of here as quickly as possible.

She slid around another corner, only to face a dead end. There was one door on the left wall however. She remained motionless for a second, listening. There. Heavy breathing behind the door. Human, male. Finally. She drew her katanas, ready to chop the door in half.

"Surprise!"

Without warning(**except for that loud shout I guess**), two whips shot out of nowhere, wrapping themselves around Rena's waist. She was dragged back and slammed into the wall, from which two arms appeared. One slid around her neck, the other her left wrist. They were quickly followed by Lilith's head, which appeared right beside Rena's.

"How do you like the zombie clan's shadow camouflage, princess?" The zombie oni purred. "I prepared it just for you." A long, black tongue slipped out from between her lips, licking Rena's cheek. The black princess felt a phantom tingle in her breasts, and her vision went red with anger. Rather than tear herself free, she dug her heels into the floor and hurled herself backwards, breaking through the wall behind them.

They rolled into an old canteen. Rena brought her elbow to Lilith's chest, one time, two times, three times, until Lilith finally had to let go and jump away. Rena whirled around and struck at her, chopping of a big chunk of hair, but nothing else. Lilith grabbed a kitchen knife and threw it at Rena's face. She dodged it with ease, striking again, this time with both katanas. Lilith had to do a backflip over a table to avoid. She landed on one foot, using the other one to kick the table at Rena, who chopped it in half with lightning speed.

Lilith, now in a disadvantage after having lost the element of surprise, seemed to decide that a tactical retreat would be the smartest plan of action. She turned around and lunged into the wall, as if it was made of liquid.

Rena was about to go after her, then she remembered Setsuna. _Priorities. _She turned, both katanas still out, and walked back through the newly made hole in the wall. She was not done with the zombie bitch though. The lowly oni had violated her when they'd last met. Before this was over, the black princess would have her revenge.

XXXXX

Kanna feinted to the left, going for the right. Erionelle saw through her though, and blocked her strike with her forearm, and countered with a kick to Kanna's left thigh. Kanna jumped back on light feet, but could not prevent the pain from showing on her face. The zombie girl were no novice when it came to fist fighting, that much were clear. Kanna hated to admit it, but when it came to skill, the two of them were equals.

They circled each other, looking for an opening. Both of them had taken several hits by now. Kanna was limping, had a deep cut on her forehead, and a cracked lip. Erionelle had a black eye(it was barely visible against her grey skin though) and breathed heavily after she'd gotten hit in the solar plexus.

Kanna attacked, going for Erionelle's left this time. Her attack was blocked again, but she managed to hit the zombie princess on the side of her chest. Erionelle let out a bestial growl, pummeling Kanna with her armored fists. Kanna dodged all strikes but one, which hit her in the temple. Kanna backed away, her vision a blur. They began to circle each other again.

"I'll give you that kid, you don't quit when it gets ugly", Kanna breathed, grinning.

Erionelle said nothing, just kept staring at her with that unwavering, empty look of hers.

"You might actually make a good vassal yet, if I decide to let you live once this is over, of course. Maybe I'll bring you back home, employ you as a maid. That way, you can watch Setsuna all day long."

"Lowly oni!" Cecily shouted angrily from outside the barrier, which she was busy maintaining. "My princess will take your head off and mount it one a spike!"

Kanna ignored the little sage, continuing her taunting. "It'd be great! I could feed you scraps from my plate, have you wash my room, make you watch as I fucked Setsuna…"

That last statement put fire in Erionelle's eyes.

"Whoops!" Kanna shouted, slapping her forehead. "There I go again. Shouldn't really be talking about intimate stuff like that with you. Setsuna is incredibly shy, but then again, that's why he's cute."

"Shut you filthy mouth, liar", Erionelle snarled.

"Oh? Filthy you say? You're telling me that you love him, but haven't even fantasized about doing a little ecchi stuff? Oh my, aren't you adorable. What did you do with him up there while you had him to yourself? Ask him if he wanted to drink tea with you?" That last taunt had the effect she wanted. Erionelle stormed forward in blind rage. Kanna ducked under the first punch and blocked the second.

_That's good kid. Waste your energy on those punches. _

She dodged another strike, dancing to the side, laughing. "What's wrong kid? Getting tired already? Need to take a nap?"

Kanna was so full of herself that she did not notice how close she'd come to the barrier wall. Erionelle saw the opportunity, and for the first time since they fight had started, a smile formed on her lips, for half a second only. Pretending to be exhausted, she stumbled forward with clumsy motions. The sight made Kanna laugh for the umpteenth time.

"Are you finished kid? Maybe you should just lie down and kiss my-" She was cut off when Erionelle launched herself forward, grabbing hold of Kanna's dress, pushing her backwards with all her might. Kanna was taken completely by surprise, and was unable to resist when Erionelle pushed her right into the barrier.

The second her skin made contact with the liquid-like, red wall, a jolt of demonic energy was transferred into her body, burning through her nervous system. Kanna screamed in agony, clawing blindly at the arms that held her. A small portion of the jolt entered Erionelle's body through Kanna, but the zombie princess's only reaction to the pain was a quick blink. She put one, armored hand over Kanna's face, pushing it deeper into the barrier.

Kanna felt her body become numb. The pain faded, but so did the feeling in her arms and legs. Her motions became weaker and weaker, until she was just hanging there, in the zombie princess's killing hold.

_I'm going to lose, _she thought. _I'm going to lose. Erionelle will kill me, then Rena. And she'll take Setsuna. _

For a moment, his face appeared before her, bloodied and beaten, but still smiling. "… No matter how many times, you will definitely come to my aid. I mean, you're a good oni."

_I tried, Setsuna, I really did. But I failed you. Forgive me. _

She could no longer feel the pain, nor anything else. Only the weak sound of her own, weak breathing, until that faded as well. She was floating now, floating in the void, only held up by the fraction of her mind that had not yet been silenced. For a moment, she was back at the hot springs, promising Setsuna to tell him how she felt, after getting her memories back.

_Couldn't even keep that promise. You fight demons and youkai, but you couldn't muster the guts to tell him how you really felt. How I feel now. And now it's too late._

And as this realization sank in, the thought of how Setsuna would never know, she gave up and let herself fall, down into the darkness.

**AN: And so the fourth chapter comes to its conclusion with a little cliffy. I promised you epic fighting, and epic fighting you got(it… it was epic… right?). Anyway, I'm done for tonight. Hope you enjoyed reading this. **

**And btw, brickster409, if you wanted to write an alternate ending of your own, you should do it. The more the merrier, I promise to read it with a smile on my face. **


	5. The spoil belongs to the victor

**Uh… I don't really got anything to say this time. Enjoy the chapter, I guess..?**

There was a sound of something whistling through the air, and then the wooden door was cut into four triangles that tumbled to the ground. Setsuna looked up, just in time to see Rena walk into the room.

"Rena!"

She was by his side in the blink of an eye, examining him quickly with her eyes. They landed on the metal collar around his neck. She nodded, as if she'd gotten a question answered, and reached down and tried to rip it off, but it wouldn't budge. She produced her exchange diary from a pocket.

"The collar is secured somehow, we'll need Hina to remove it."

Setsuna grabbed her shoulders. "Don't mind that now, tell me what's going on? How are everybody doing?"

Rena began to write with lightning speed. "Kanna is fighting Erionelle in the main hall, I fought off the older minion on my way her, but she escaped before I could finish her. I've not seen the zombie sage."

"What about my sister? And Shouko, I heard she was injured."

"Your sister is safe at home. I think Shouko is still in the hospital, together with Hina. But that is not important. We have to go."

"Right", Setsuna said eagerly. "Show me the way back to Kanna."

Rena shook her head.

"What? Why are you shaking your head?"

"Kanna should have beat Erionelle by now, but she's still not caught up with us. There's a considerable chance that she might've lost, even been killed. If that's the case, we have to retreat."

"No!" Setsuna protested. "If that's the case, we have to go back and help her!"

Kanna's face was as empty as a peanut box in a chimp cage when she wrote: "Don't be a fool."

Setsuna looked at her defiantly. "Do as you wish, I'm going back." He turned for the door.

The only warning he got was her shadow twisting, and it was not nearly enough. Before he could even draw a surprised breath, the hilt of one of her katanas crashed into his temple, knocking him out. She caught him before he hit the ground, tossing him across her shoulders.

Walking out of the room, she topped for a second, looking down the corridor towards the main hall, where her sister had to be. Then, she turned around and sprinted the other way.

XXXXX

Erionelle looked down at the defeated princess at her feet. Aside from the bruises and scratches that had been dealt by Erionelle's hands and feet, the white princess's body showed no signs of the damage that had been inflicted upon her when she was pushed into the barrier.

She hunched down, listening for the sound of a heart. It beat. Barely.

"HAHAHA!" Cecily squealed as she made small dance steps around the two princesses. "I knew you'd beat her, princess! Look at her, lying there like a sack of shit! Not so tough now are you?!" She poked Kanna's head with the tip of her staff.

"Cecily", Erionelle said masterfully. "Stop fooling around and contact Lilith. I need to know what became of the black princess."

"Y-yes of course, princess, right away!" The little sage fished out a cellphone, which she'd stolen from an electronics store, and begun to dial a number on the touchscreen. Before she was finished, Lilith appeared at the top of the stairs, frantic.

"The black princess escaped with the Kashiwagi boy!" She ran down the steps, throwing herself down before Erionelle's feet. "I failed you princess, please forgive me."

Erionelle considered for a moment, and then said: "It doesn't matter. I'll track them down, kill the princess and reclaim Setsuna. The white princess is finished, and she was the hard one." She walked past the servile Lilith, following Rena's tracks.

"Ah, princess!" Lilith called after her. "What do we do with her?" She pointed at Kanna.

"Do as you please", Erionelle answered without turning around. "Just make sure to kill her when you're finished." And with that, she ran off, disappearing in the shadows.

Lilith turned her attention to the unconscious Kanna, barely able to contain her excitement. "Oh my, this is turning out even better than I'd hoped!" She produced the same camera she'd used on the defeated Rena a few months back, throwing it to Cecily. "Be sure to get her good side kid, those pictures will give our current rank a royal boost when we put them out on the internet!" Cecily nodded and lifted the camera eagerly to her face.

Lilith went down on her knees above Kannas chest, reached down, and ripped open the white princess's dress. Kanna's big breasts spilled out, like two, big cups of cream, topped with raspberries. Cecily started taking pictures like crazy, dribble running down her chin.

Lilith hesitated for a moment. The memory of Kanna crushing Erionelle beneath her staff was at the back of her mind. Even as the white princess lay beaten and broken beneath her, the memory was intimidating. _Stop acting like a coward, this is revenge, for Erionelle. _Slowly, very slowly, she reached down and put her hands on Kanna's breasts.

"Oh, that's great!" Cecily squealed. "Do more, rub them or something!"

Her cheeks burning with excitement, Lilith began to roll Kanna's nipples between her fingers. The white princess made a weak, weak sound, and one of her fingers twitched a little.

"YEAH!" Cecily screamed. "That's right! Feel the disgrace, lowly oni!"

Lilith grabbed Kanna's thighs, turning her over on her stomach. "Get behind me Cecily, I want to try something." She lifted Kanna's waist up, and pushed her knees forward, so that the white princess lay face down, her bottom in the air. Lilith flipped her dress, revealing Kanna's white, silky lingerie, covering about half of each buttock. Lilith poked.

"YES!" Cecily was on flames now, feverishly snapping pictures. "Do more!"

Her tongue slipping out of her mouth like a worm, Lilith began to pull the panties down, slowly exposing the white skin it covered. She would have done far more, had not the brick wall facing the street outside been blown to pieces at that precise moment.

"What the hell?!" She yelled, rolling to the side. She got to her feet, a whip stretched out between her hands.

A hole the size of a tunnel entrance had been blown in the wall. Something moved through it, partially shrouded in dust-filled air. Lilith felt her heart jump when three enormous toy animals, a rabbit, a tiger and a lion, entered the building. The red princess and her master, the human girl, sat on the shoulders of the rabbit.

Hina blew out a puff of smoke, calmly assessing the situation. "Well, well, seems like Kanna got herself in a pinch. What trickery did you have to manage this, zombie clan?"

Lilith could not deny it, she was scared shitless. She remembered what Cecily had looked like after she retrieved her, after getting Erionelle to safety. She glanced at Cecily. Her companion did not seem too cocky either. The camera had slipped through her fingers, which were shaking.

_The body remembers the pain that has been inflicted upon it when faced with the one who did it, _Lilith thought. _This is bad. If we fight her now, we'll be at a disadvantage. _

Hina pointed at her with her pipe. "You have violated a member of the royal oni tribe. As a royal oni myself, I cannot overlook this. Prepare to die."

The tiger and the lion shot forward, and Lilith had to dodge to the side to evade the crushing blow aimed at her body. She was too slow the second time, and the tiger's stone hard fist dug into her stomach, sending her crashing into the wall. Getting back on her feet, she saw the tiger approaching her, its tail sweeping back and forth. _Fuck this. _

"Pull back, Cecily!" She yelled. "We're retreating!" And so she let herself sink into the wall behind her, like a ghost.

XXXXX

Setsuna woke up when they were about halfway home, and immediately started to shout and struggle in Rena's arms. They had entered the construction site where Setsuna worked part time. Rena stopped on the sixth floor of one the half-finished buildings, letting the struggling Setsuna fall to the ground. He got back to his feet, rubbing his temple. "You hit me!"

"You were being unreasonable", Rena wrote, her face the usual emotionless mask.

"Take me back!"

"No."

"Why not?! Your sister could be hurt!"

"If she was defeated, she'll be dead by now. If so, I need to get you somewhere safe."

Setsuna opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out. He didn't want to accept what Rena was telling him, but the logic behind her argument could not be denied. Rena continued to write.

"The zombie clan have provided us with an unforeseen advantage though. They can't track you either, while you're wearing that collar. I can hide you somewhere safe, while I enlist Hina's help to get rid of the zombie clan."

"But what about Mirei?!" Setsuna asked. "They could try to go after her to get to us!"

"I'll hide her too."

Setsuna was quiet for a moment, then asked: "Do you really think she's dead? Kanna I mean."

Rena nodded once.

"How can you be so sure?"

She pointed at something behind him. He turned around.

Erionelle was walking towards them across a steel beam. She looked a little roughed up, but still moved with her usual grace. She stopped a few meters away, pointing the tip of her longsword at Setsuna. "I'll only say this once, black princess Rena. Hand. Him. Over."

Rena stepped in front of Setsuna, drawing her twin katanas. Setsuna put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait, maybe we can talk this out."

"No negations", Erionelle said. "Either she'll give up willingly, Setsuna, or I'll claim you over her broken corpse." She turned back to Rena. "So, what's it going to be?"

Rena shot forward, accelerating like a rocket in flight. Her first to blows were directed at Erionelle's head and left shoulder. The zombie princess used her longsword to deflect one blow, and her armored glove to block the other. Rena continued to hammer her with blows, pushing the zombie princess backwards. Erionelle blocked the worst of her chops, and let the rest of them bounce of her armor. It seemed to Setsuna that Erionelle was not quite as quick as she'd been the last time she fought Rena. The battle with Kanna must have weakened her.

The two onis continued to circle around, trading blows. At one point, Rena managed to sneak through Erionelle's defense and slash her across the cheek. Erionelle jumped backwards, grabbed a sack full of bricks and hurled it at Rena, who had to jump to the side to evade it, something that gave Erionelle a split second to storm forward and grab Setsuna.

Dragging him with her, she moved out on one of the beams. One of her hands closed around the metal collar. "Now need for this now." And just like that, she ripped it off.

The effect was instant. Rena stopped dead in her tracks, and her gaze zoomed in on his chest, her mouth half open, her nostrils expanding. Her eyes went blank, and her pupils began to burn with a savage, primitive light. At the same time, Setsuna felt Erionelle tense behind her, and she muttered: "What in the world?!" Then, Rena crashed into them both, sending all three of them falling through the air.


	6. Encirlced

**NEW CHAPTER, FINALLY. SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDATE, BUT I GOT MY HANDS ON ASSASSIN'S CREED 3 A FEW DAYS BACK AND WAS UNABLE TO GET OFF THE GAMING COUCH FOR THREE DAYS STRAGIHT. NOW I'M FINISHED AND SATISFIED(ALTHOUGH THE ENDING SUCKED, IRONICALLY ENOGUH) AND READY TO CONTINUE. **

XXXXX

Setsuna tried to scream, but someone's elbow hit him in the face and forced the sound back down his throat. The world spun around him, and he felt a hand claw at his chest. Then, mere seconds before they reached the ground, Erionelle kicked Rena away and twisted around in the air, landing on her feet with Setsuna in her arms. Rena, on the other hand, was knocked into a pile of rubble.

Immediately upon landing, Erionelle pushed Setsuna behind her and pointed her longsword at Rena, who was slowly getting up, blood flowing from a deep cut above her left eye. Setsuna wanted to help her, but Erionelle caught his arm when he tried to run around her, throwing him back. "Don't!" She yelled. "It's dangerous!"

Rena snarled like some wild animal, moving forward, crouching. Her fiery eyes were nailed to Setsuna, or rather his chest. She had lost her katanas, but that did not stop her from attacking. She lunged forward, her fingers curled like claws. Keeping one hand on Setsuna, Erionelle swiped at Rena with her longsword, driving her back. The swipe cut open her dress, revealing her right breast. Rena hissed like a snake.

"What is wrong with her?!" Setsuna asked, his voice shivering. He had never seen neither Rena, nor Kanna in a state like this.

"Your heart", Erionelle said, her voice thick with strain.

"What about it?" Setsuna asked, confused.

"It's fully matured."

"What?!" Setsuna whispered, clutching his chest.

Erionelle pushed him backwards, all the while keeping her eyes on the circling Rena. "The scent is extraordinary, I'm barely able to keep my focus."

"But it shouldn't have matured yet! It's still three months until a full year has passed!"

"Indeed."

Rena lunged again. This time, Erionelle was the one who was cut before she managed to drive the crazed oni away.

"Why is she acting like this?!" Setsuna asked, terrified by the sight of Rena attacking him. He had always associated her with safety and calmness, ever since he'd gotten to know her.

"Royal oni have devoured the heart for tens of thousands of years. As a result, they are more sensitive than anyone else, when it comes to the Banrikou heart. She was taken by surprise and the rational part of her brain got overloaded. She is acting purely on instinct now."

Rena attacked for the third time, this time so fast that her motions seemed like a blur to Setsuna. Erionelle dropped the longsword and lunged forward, tackling the black princess's waist, driving her to the ground. Rena hissed furiously, delivering savage blows to the zombie princess's face while Erionelle locked her feet under her own and put her hands around her throat. Even so, Rena continued to punch, her face, her shoulders, her chest, wherever she could reach.

Erionelle began to viciously slam Rena's head to the ground, again and again. To Setsuna, it was clear who had the advantage. Rena's strikes seemed to become weaker and weaker, while Erionelle now smelled blood. The back of her dress had been torn open, and Setsuna could see the muscles in her back contract and expand each time she repeated the slamming.

"Erionelle-san, please stop! You're killing her!"

Erionelle did not show any inkling of having heard him. Her gaze was locked on the opponent beneath her. Rena's arms had stopped moving, and Erionelle raised a bloodied fist into the sky, preparing to deliver the final blow.

"NO!" Setsuna screamed, diving forward, grabbing her arm with both of his hands.

Erionelle tried to yank her arm loose, but Setsuna held onto it with desperate strength, even as he was being tossed around.

"What are you doing, you fool?! She just tried to kill you!"

"Please, Erionelle-san, she didn't act on purpose. You sad it yourself, didn't you? She was just overwhelmed by the scent!"

"So what?!" She snapped. "She paid for your life to eat that heart, didn't she? She'll kill you without a second's hesitation, now that it's fully matured. I'm trying to protect you, why can't you see that?!"

"Please, Erionelle-san", he said softly. "You said you wanted to be a good oni, or was that just a lie?"

She looked at him for several seconds, her raised fist quivering. Then, very slowly, it loosened up and she removed her other hand from Rena's throat, reluctantly. Setsuna let go of her arm, and she got to her feet, somewhat unsteady. She sighed.

"No, it was not a lie, I really wanted to be good. For you." She picked up her longsword. "If she tries to harm you again, I'll split her skull, no matter what how much you beg me. It's disgraceful, really, for a royal oni to let herself be overcome by desire like that. Just like a lowly demon."

Upon uttering that last word, she froze. "Speak of the devil", she whispered, looking up. Setsuna followed her gaze.

A man was standing on top of one of the buildings above them. He had to be somewhere in his forties, and had a huge beard dyed red, but that was not the interesting thing about him. The pulsating, black aura that surrounded him was.

"Demon", Erionelle stated calmly. As she did, four more appeared around them, two young men, a teenage girl and a boy who couldn't possibly be more than twelve. All were shrouded in their own, personal darkness, moving like sleepwalkers, or zombies.

Setsuna was distracted by the sight of Rena opening her eyes. She blinked twice, then turned her head to look at him. He could see hunger burn somewhere inside them, but her eyes were clear now, and she got up on her knees, quickly examining her surroundings. She spotted the demons immediately.

"Black princess Rena", Erionelle said. "As I'm sure you're aware of, I just spared your life after having defeated you in single combat. I now request a truce with you, so that we can properly protect Setsuna from this unworthy scum." She motioned at the approaching demons. There were seven of them now.

Rena stopped briefly to adjust her torn dress, then summoned one of her katanas out of thin air. She nodded at the zombie princess with a chilly expression, then sent Setsuna a quick, apologetic look. He smiled nervously in return.

There were now ten demons surrounding them, and more were coming.

XXXXX

The first thing Kanna felt upon awakening was a headache so bad that she might as well had drunken five gallons of sake the night before. She got up on her elbows, retching. It took a minute for her memories to return, but when they did, they hit her like slaps. She looked up in panic, only to see Hina and Shouko standing over her. Hina looked a little smug, Shouko impatient.

"Hey pig, would you care to tell us what the hell happened her?!" Shouko yelled. "Where is Setsuna? Is he hurt?!"

Kanna closed her eyes again, rubbing her temples. It felt like someone had scorched the inside of her cranium with a blowtorch. "I… don't know."

Shouko grabbed the front of her dress(which had somehow been fixed) and shook her. "What the hell are you talking about?! You came here to save him, didn't you? Are you telling me that you don't know if he was even here?!"

Kanna tried her best to remember. "Erionelle, she… was waiting for us. Rena went on while I staid to fight. Don't know what happened to her."

Shouko let go of her. "God you're useless. You're telling me that despite all your brawn, your one redeeming attribute, you got your ass handed to you?"

"The zombie princess used cheap tactics", Kanna growled. Everything was starting to come back to her now, including her realization. She got back on her feet slowly, using her staff as support. The fact that she could lift it now showed that her strength was returning. Good.

"I don't have time to quarrel with you", she said to Shouko. "I need to find Setsuna."

Shouko opened her mouth, looking angry, but Hina beat her to it. "If you two are finished with your little catfight, I've got something to tell you. After we defeated the zombie princess's two lackeys(who by the way would have raped you, Kanna, if I hadn't saved you), I summoned one of my smaller familiars, a bird, to scout the building. It found that Setsuna was her until recently. The door that led into the room where he was held captive was chopped to pieces."

"Then Rena managed to reach him", Kanna said. Shouko looked relieved.

"Propably", Hina agreed. "So, should we try to find them, or would you two prefer to settle your differences first?"

In less than a second, Shouko had grabbed Hina's ears, twisting them around. A vein pulsated in her temple. "It seems you still have much learn when it comes to showing your master due respect, brat. Another comment like that, and you'll be sleeping on the floor for two weeks."

"But it's my job to point out your absurdities!" Hina protested, wincing in pain. "As a non-harem member I rarely get to enter the spotlight, so I have to take what I can get!"

"You can take that up with the writer, whoever that moron is. And we're not supposed to make comments about our fictionality, let alone be aware of it!"

"I don't want to be a B-character anymore!" Hina cried. "I'll do anything for a promotion, I'll even join the harem and make myself fall in love with Setsuna… AHHHH, NO, DON'T TWIST HARDER, IT HURTS!"

(**quick AN: Okay, ehm, the story just got a little more random than I'd expected. Let's… get back to the other guys.) **

XXXXX

The middle aged man fell to his knees and screamed as the demon who had resided within him was driven out by Rena's "Life Spirit". She jumped backwards, ducking under a blow from another of the possessed attackers, and cleaved him to. The young boy fell face down into the ground, where he remained, motionless.

Erionelle was holding a yelling Setsuna to her body with one arm, like one would carry a rolled up rug, and was fending of the demon attackers with the other. A teenage girl lunged for Setsuna, her feral eyes locked on his chest. Erionelle punched her in the face with an iron fist, breaking her jaw and sending her tumbling backwards.

"NO!" Setsuna yelled. "Don't kill them! They don't know what they're doing!"

"They're scum who succumbed to their own lowly desires!" Erionelle barked, kicking another attacker in the stomach. "They are weak and worthless, and I'm not risking your life for them!"

"Please, Erionelle-san", Setsuna pleaded.

Erionelle let out a sound of frustration. _Why? _She thought. _Every time he says that… _

The man she had kicked down was recovering, slamming his fists into the ground like a monkey, foam coming from his mouth. The essence of the heart had completely overridden the demon's rational mind. It was operating purely on instinct now, like Rena had just a few minutes ago. It would be so easy to punch straight through the man's body when he attacked again, but then there was Setsuna, looking at her with those ridiculously shiny eyes of his. She couldn't deny him what he was asking for when he looked at her like that.

"Princess!" She yelled. At the edge of her vision, she could see Rena's head turn. The possessed man attacked again, arms stretched forward. Erionelle grabbed one of them as he came within reach and used his own momentum to throw him at Rena, and more importantly, her katanas. There was another flash of light, and then the demon came out through the man's mouth, howling.

They must have taken down a dozen demons or so, but still they kept coming, and to make matters worse, the incoming flow seemed to increase, not decrease.

_It's the essence of the heart, _she thought. _It's overwhelming. _And it was. The smell coming from Setsuna was making her mouth wet. Was it not for the stone-hard discipline she'd gained through years of training, she would have ripped open his ribcage and eaten the heart herself, without a second's hesitation. _The collar, I have to get it back on him. _

She had lost the collar when Rena had tackled them off the roof, and now it lay on the ground about thirty meters away from them. Erionelle started to run towards it, Setsuna still in her arm. Two of the possessed humans tried to get in her way, but she hit one of them in the face with her elbow, and Rena took down the other with a double cut.

The demons were appearing in the dozens now, swarming down the sides of the half-finished buildings around them like ants around a demolished anthill. They were closing in on them, and Erionelle did not believe for a second that she and Rena could beat them all on their own, tired as they were. She slid across the ground and her hand locked around the ring of metal. Her eyes were locked on Setsuna's face, which was pale as a primrose, eyes wide, but she could still hear the screams from the possessed humans encircling them. A few seconds more, and they'd drown in them. She ripped the collar open, and placed it around Setsuna's neck.

The effect was instant. The essence of the heart was gone in a second, and Erionelle felt her mind become crystal clear again. She looked around, and saw that the same applied for the demons, who'd stopped dead in their tracks. The looks on their faces turned from confusion to fright when they realized they were standing before two royal onis.

Erionelle carefully lowered Setsuna to his feet and pushed him behind her, against the wall. Rena was standing beside them, busy trying to keep an eye on all the possessed humans around them at the same time, some of which were already backing away.

_They're scared and demoralized, and they see the bodies of those we've already defeated. Now is the them to rout them. _Erionelle stepped forward, raising a finger at the nearest demon, a middle-aged woman dressed in a flower dress of all things. "Demons, you have broken the laws of the demon realm by raising your hands at royalty. Our laws call for your execution, but we are inclined to being merciful. Surrender now and leave your human hosts, and you shall be allowed to live to see another day.

Some of the demons that were farthest away were stealing away, but one individual, a mountainous, bald man in a yakuza outfit stepped forward. That was not what made him special in Erionelle's eyes though. It was his hands, massive and scarred and twitching, with dark aura playing around them. The hands of a killer.

"And what are the two of you going to do against fifty of us, sweetie? Oh sure, you onis are strong, but you're not _that _strong. I recon we could kill you both in ten seconds." The demon turned the man's head, shouting at the other demons. "WHAT DO YOU SAY FELLAS?! SHOULD WE SLAUGHTER THESE ARROGANT BITCHES AND CLAIM THAT HEART FOR OURSELVES?!"

The demons were tempted, that was obvious, even without the smell of the heart drawing them forward. But the yakuza had neglected to mention one thing, one crucial thing that they all knew. Only one of them would claim the heart, and half of them would surely die before the oni princesses were defeated. Not one of the demons in the front moved. They knew they would be the first to die. Erionelle dropped her stone face in favor of a scary smile.

"It's quite the mouth you got on that face of yours, scum. Perhaps I should rip it off?" She took a step forward, rolling her shoulders.

She could see a flash of fear in the demon's dark eyes. A battle was raging inside him, his survival instinct vs. his desire for the Banrikou. Most demons were cowardly by nature, preferring to stalk weaker prey in favor of challenging stronger foes like onis, but this one had to be special, because instead of running away, he stepped forward saying: "I'm gonna have my way with you when I'm done with you, you Bitch-"

He was cut off when a thundering uppercut made contact with the underside of his jaw. He spun into the air, blood flying from his face. Erionelle smashed her fist into the ground, which began to tremble upon the impact. The demons were already scattering, running like the grim reaper himself was chasing them.

Erionelle turned to Setsuna, who was pressing his back to the wall, looking a little terrified. "Erionelle-san, that was… impressive." Erionelle would have blushed, had her grey skin allowed it. Then, Setsuna's face was distorted in panic, and he lunged for her. "Erionelle-san, LOOK OUT!"

She was so taken by surprise when he pushed her away, that she did not notice the yakuza before his fist slammed into Setsuna's chest. In slow motion she saw the boy she had come to love fly swiftly, almost gracefully backwards, right into the brick wall. The sight unleashed a savagery inside her that she'd never felt before. Her hand locked around the yakuza's right arm, crushing it like glass. The demon did not even have time to yelp in pain before the other hand had closed around his throat. His eyes bulged like balloons when she crushed that as well.

Meanwhile, Rena was crouched beside the collapsed Setsuna, checking for injuries. She had been distracted by the fleeing demons, and had therefore not seen the attack coming. Erionelle let the yakuza fall onto his back, the demon spirit within extinguished along with the life of its host. Her hands were soaked with his blood. She threw herself down beside Setsuna, her fingers panicking around his head. A red flow was coming from the top of his head. "Is he badly hurt?!"

Rena shook her head, a smile of intense relief on her usually blank face. Erionelle could fell the tears starting to press forward as the shock began to disappear, but she pushed them back. She could not show weakness in front of the black princess. Instead, she calmed herself and said: "I have a proposition for you, black princess of the royal oni clan, if you would hear me out."

Rena's head tilted upwards and observed her sworn enemy as she brought forth her proposal. The black princess looked down at Setsuna for a moment, one of her fingers brushing some dirt of his cheek. She kept looking at him for several seconds, eyes inscrutable. Then, she looked up at Erionelle again, and nodded.

**AN: Ok, so there's another chapter down. Took me a while to write this. Had a few writing blocks. Should half-finished with this story now, but as with all my stories, I kinda started without a plan and therefore can't say for sure. Gods now what could happen now. **


	7. Unlikely alliance

Kanna came to a halt mid run, causing a breathless Shouko to run right into her. It was like storming into a brick wall. Shouko fell back on her ass, cursing loudly. "What the hell are you doing you fucking monkey?!"

Kanna did not answer, just turned her head about forty degrees to the right. Her mouth was half open, and her face had the look of a starved wolf smelling fresh meat. Shouko would not have been surprised to see saliva flowing from her mouth. _What the fuck?!_

She turned and saw that Hina had the exact same look on her face, which was facing the same way as Kanna's, towards the city's center. Shouko got to her feet and waved her hand in front of Hina's face. No reaction. She slapped her.

"OW!" Hina exclaimed, rubbing her red cheek. "What… what did you do that for?!"

"It's rude to ignore your master. What the hell are you doing anyway, glaring into the air like that?!"

"The heart", Kanna said absentmindedly behind her. Shouko turned. "What?"

"The heart", Kanna repeated. "The wind turned, and I can smell it now. It's… incredible."

"Yes", Hina echoed, sniffing loudly.

Shouko's eyes narrowed. "Heart?"

"Yes", Hina said quietly. There was no hiding it anymore. "Like I told you."

Shouko's hand shot out, grabbed Kanna's shoulder, and whirled her around. "No bullshitting me now, _princess. _Whose heart, exactly, are you talking about?"

Kanna didn't answer, just looked away.

"Setsuna's heart?!"

Kanna didn't answer.

"That's why you came here, right? To eat his heart? I remember what happened that day when you first appeared at school, when I was possessed by that demon. You said you had to protect _your _precious heart! I remember all of it!"

Kanna didn't answer.

Shouko shook her shoulders violently. "ANSWER ME, YOU BITCH! ARE YOU GOING TO KILL SETSUNA AND EAT HIS HEART?!"

"What I do, or do not do with Setsuna, is none of your business", Kanna finally said. "I suggest you take Hina and go home. Things will probably get a lot uglier from here."

That made Shouko's blood boil. The bitch had admitted it. "Like hell I am. You're not putting a finger on Setsuna."

Kanna raised her chin, looking down on the frail, little girl before her. She had to admit, the girl had some guts, threatening a royal oni like that. Or maybe she was just stupid. "Setsuna willingly agreed to this engagement. It is not for to poke your nose into it."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Believe what you wish", Kanna said, looking sideways at a nervous Hina. "But don't even think of ordering Hina to stop me or anything. I'd rather not fight my cousin again, so in that case, I'd kill you before she could lift a finger."

"Eeeeehm, that would kill me as well. Brand of dominion, remember?" Hina interjected.

Kanna turned and began to walk down the street. "Whatever, I need to get to Setsuna. The heart seems to have matured prematurely, and it'll draw demons to it like Americans to the mall on black Friday. Follow if you wish."

_Oh, I'll follow, do not doubt it, _Shouko thought. In her mind, the scene that had taken place in the gym storage room flashed before her. Her lying beaten on the ground with Kanna standing over her, staff high in the air, ready to come down on her skull like an war hammer. Then Setsuna's voice, begging for her life. _I feel like Arima-san's life is precious as well! _

_I'll follow, and if you try to hurt Setsuna, I'll kill you bitch. Do not doubt it for a second. _

She hurried after the tall woman, yanking Hina with her as she did so.

XXXXX

Setsuna woke up in the back seat of a taxi, Rena on his right, human form Erionelle on the other. A grey-haired driver was maneuvering them through the afternoon rush, humming to himself. He moved his hand to his chest, which hurt like hell. It felt like he'd been hit by a battering ram.

Erionelle was the first to notice that he'd awakened. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Setsuna, are you alright?"

He grimaced. "I think so. It hurts a little, but I think so. What is going on?"

"I and the black princess have called a truce", Erionelle said.

Setsuna's eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Rena. "Really?"

She nodded.

"That's great!" Setsuna exclaimed happily. "So, uh, you're not going to fight anymore?"

"Not for the moment", Rena wrote.

_Better than nothing, I suppose, _Setsuna thought. "So, where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe, to sort things out." Erionelle said. "It's extremely dangerous for you know, with demons crawling all over the city."

Setsuna was about to ask what "somewhere safe" meant, when the driver stopped the car. "Where here", he announced, turning in his seat. Rena quickly got out and scanned the area while Erionelle paid the driver. When she was positive everything was safe, she motioned for them to get out. Setsuna stepped out on the street and looked around. _What the… _They were standing in front of a hospital! He turned to Rena.

"Why are we here and not home?!"

"Going home might bring Mirei into the crossfire. Is that what you want?"

Setsuna frowned. "No… of course not. But why a hospital?"

"I just got a message from my servants", Erionelle said behind him. "It appears they were defeated by the red princess and fled here. We're regrouping with them."

Setsuna turned to her. "So that means Kanna is alright as well?"

"Probably", Erionelle said, sounding anything but happy. "I imagine she and the red princess is looking for us right now. Which means we got to hurry."

"Hurry? With what?"

"Don't think about it", Rena wrote, pushing him towards the front door. "Just follow me."

"But… I don't understand, Rena-san."

"Don't worry Setsuna", he heard Erionelle say behind him. Everything is going to be fine. Trust me."

And being the credulous person he was, Setsuna followed them into the building without further questioning. Had he known what would soon occur within the walls of this hospital, he would probably have run the opposite way as fast as he could.

**AN: I know, I know, short chapter. The next one will be much longer, I promise. Btw, I've created a poll on my profile where you can vote for the girl **_**you **_**want Setsuna to end up with(if I do not decide to kill him off, that is. He is kinda annoying after all), the result will probably decide the ending of the story. It doesn't look like it has shown up yet, but I'm sure it will soon. Go vote now! **


	8. I release you

On their way up to the eight floor, Setsuna, Rena and Erionelle ended up in an elevator together with a woman who was wearing nothing but long T-shirt that said: "I'm a teapot". She had to be in the middle of her forties, greying hair, wrinkled eyes, and ice blue eyes. Setsuna found her quite scary, and was very relieved when she exited on the sixth floor.

"Eh, Rena-san, where are we going now?" Setsuna asked when they finally got out of the elevator. Rena wrote her answer in her exchange diary as usual. "Just down this corridor."

Erionelle put her hand on his back and pushed him forward gently. "Come on Setsuna, we have an important meeting to attend."

Setsuna allowed them to herd him forward. He'd been in this hospital many times before, due to his heart condition. If he remembered correctly, there was a cafeteria and a visitor room just down the hall.

The visitor room was empty when they walked in, with the exception of a tall, blond man wearing a doctor's coat, sitting in the corner, looking at life swarm about on the streets below him. As they approached him, he began to appear vaguely familiar to Setsuna. Had he seen this doctor during one of his earlier visits to the hospital.

The doctor turned his head and caught their reflection in the mirror. He immediately jumped on his feet and spun around, his long hair fluttering. "Ah, Rena-san, Erionelle-san!" He bowed gracefully. "A pleasure to see you here. I trust Kanna-san is healthy and happy as well?"

"A-ah!" Setsuna stottered, pointing at the monocle in front of the blond man's left eye. "It's you!"

"Indeed", the middle man said, offering his hand. "I must say, you look much better! Life must be treating you better?"

Setsuna casually shook his hand. "Much better, thank you…. Ehm, middle man-san, you're a doctor?"

"Ah!" The middle man exclaimed, looking down on his outfit as if he'd just realized he was wearing it. "This is just a hobby of mine. A way to pass the time while I wait for the clan elders to finish the Banrikou heart. You wouldn't believe how interesting this profession can be."

"But why are you here now?"

"Why, to observe the two princesses go through their trial of course! It's my job to oversee that the rules are being followed, am I not right girls?"

Rena and Erionelle nodded, though Erionelle did not seem too pleased to be in this oni's company.

"But enough of that!" The middle man said, putting his arm through Setsuna's. "I believe you called me because the Banrikou heart his acting… oddly, or am I misquoting you, princess Rena?"

Rena shook her head.

"Good! To my office then!"

XXXXX

Kanna pushed the lid of the container open and looked down. There was a dead guy dresses as a yakuza lying among the trash, face down. One of his arms had been ripped off, and his neck squashed like a colabox. Shouko looked over her shoulder, letting out a small shriek upon seeing the corpse. "Oh god, what happened to him?"

"Looks like the zombie princess killed him", Kanna said. "This kill is far too unrefined for Rena's tastes."

"This man have been tainted by a demon", Hina said, looking at the man with her eyes half –closed. "The demon was not driven out before he was killed, and now it decays within him, along with his body."

Apart from the corpse there were several sings of battle lying around on the construction site. A large fight had taken place there. Recently.

Kanna slammed the lid shut. "One dead, possessed guy, but no Setsuna, no Rena, and no Erionelle. Weird. What do you recon happened, Hina?"

"It seems to me that Rena, or Erionelle, or most likely both of them fought a bunch of demons here, a bunch of demons attracted by the Banrikou heart. What happened next is more unsure though."

Kanna sniffed. "I can still smell the heart, but the trail ends here. Setsuna must be under that shroud spell again."

"So that zombie princess took him then?" Shouko asked anxiously.

"Probably", Kanna said. "Hina, can you at least track her?"

Hina closed her eyes completely and mumbled something inaudible. A bright light appeared between her hands, which then shot into the air, disappearing above the closest building. Hina opened her eyes. "I know where she is."

XXXXX

"Fascinating", the middle man mumbled. "Absolutely fascinating."

He was hunched in front of a bare-chested Setsuna, listening to his heartbeats with an old-fashioned stethoscope. Rena and Erionelle was standing beside Setsuna, both with a hand on one of his shoulders.

"So?" Erionelle asked impatiently. "What do you have to say?"

The middle man leaned back. "This is, without a shadow of a doubt, a fully matured Banrikou heart. The essence is unprecedented. I imagine I would be slobbering like a dog, had it not been for Erionelle-san's neat, little charm." He poked the metal collar fastened around Setsuna's neck.

"That much we've been able to figure out", Rena wrote. "Do you know why it could have matured so fast?"

The middle man walked over to his desk and seated himself in a comfortable-looking swivel chair. "Ah… no."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erinelle asked.

"That _means, _that I do not have the slightest idea of why this have happened", the middle man said with a smile. He moved his gaze to Rena. "You said this boy was able to summon both you and your sister at the same time, correct?"

Rena nodded.

"I see."

Setsuna lifted his left hand, like a schoolboy who did not understand the math problem his teacher had just drawn on the blackboard. "Excuse me, but is that unusual? To be able to summon more than one?"

"Oh yes", the middle man said, forming a pyramid with his fingers. "You see Setsuna-san, the energy that allows you to summon the princesses to your side does not come from the Banrikou heart, it comes from you."

"M-me?"

"Yes. The heart holds immense power, the power to create the _Kami, _the supreme being, but this power is not released before the heart is devoured by someone. When you use the ability to summon the princesses, you use the energy of you own soul."

Setsuna was barely aware of Erionelle sending Rena an ugly look. "My soul?"

"Indeed. Every time you summon one of the princesses, it takes an immense toll on your soul. Summoning both of them at the same time is… unheard of. You should have died the first time you tried this in that storage room. Yet here you are. Which means that you are quite the anomaly, my friend."

(**quick AN: I'm allowing myself some poetic freedom here. In the manga, it actually **_**was **_**the heart that gave him this ability)**

Setsuna looked at his hands with wonder.

"So", the middle man said loudly, slapping his hands together. "Do you want me to drug this boy so that he can die without pain when you eat his heart, Rena-san? Is that why you brought him here to me?"

Erionelle snarled and clutched Setsuna's shoulder. "I'll take your head off if you some much as imply that again, _middle man." _

"Or not", the middle man said. A second later, Rena threw him her exchange diary. The middle man quickly opened it and began to read the last thing that was written.

"What is that?" Setsuna asked curiously.

"Ah, don't worry dear boy", the middle man said, clasping the book together. "Rena-san just want me to watch my tongue. Anyone here thirsty? I think I got some Earl Grey her somewhere…" He began to rummage around his desk, producing four cups, four tea bags, and a kettle.

"Tea is another passion of mine, ever since I first tasted it back in 1752." He turned the kettle on and found some sugar. "Do you like Earl Grey Setsuna-san? Or would you perhaps prefer Oolong tea?"

"Ehm, the first one is fine, I think", Setsuna said. He knew very little about tea.

"As you wish. Princesses?"

"Oolong", Erionelle said.

"Earl Grey", Rena wrote.

"As you wish!" The middle man said, filling two of the cups with Earl Grey, and the other two with Oolong tea.

Without warning, Rena started to cough loudly, hunching over and covering her mouth with one hand. Setsuna jumped up from his chair and put his hands on her shoulders. So distracted was he, that he did not notice the middle man slip a couple of white pills into his teacup. Rena's coughing fit suddenly ended, and she brushed of Setsuna's hands, reassuring him that she was fine.

"Some warm tea is the best remedy for illness in one's throat", the middle man said, handing everyone their respective cups. He lifted his own cup two his lips (cheers!) and emptied half of it in one draught.

Setsuna did not detect the sleeping agents at first, and managed therefore almost to empty the cup before the room began to spin and his legs gave away. Rena caught him in his fall and carried him over to the middle man's desk, where she laid him down gently, supporting his head with a pillow from the couch.

"What did you give him?" Erionelle asked the middle man.

"Ah, a fairly harmless potion of mine, knocks out the consciousness and reinforces the body's regenerative ability. Perfect for surgeries."

The middle man moved to remove Setsuna's shirt, but Erionelle put her arm in his way. "Not yet. There is something I need to get first."

The middle man bowed politely. "As you wish, zombie princess. I will ready my equipment while you're at it."

Erionelle looked at Rena. "You'll stay here and make sure he does not do anything crazy to Setsuna, ok?"

Thumbs up from Rena.

Erionelle brushed Setsuna's cheek gently with the two of her fingers and then left the room. She walked about twenty meters down the hall and then into an empty patient room. "You can come out now."

Cecily and Lilith emerged from the opposite wall like ghosts, falling down on their knees in front of her, faces to the ground.

"We are so sorry, Erionelle-sama!" They said in chorus.

"You should be", Erionelle said coldly. "Why is the white princess still alive?"

"It was the red princess", Lilith said, face still to the ground. "She surprised us. There was nothing we could do."

"You could have fought, tried to stop her, or at the very least died trying. Did you not swear to die for me, should I command it, when you became my vassal?"

Lilith cringed. "I'm ready for any punishment you deem just, Erionelle-sama. I'll take it glady."

"No time for that now. Rise."

Her servants obeyed.

"The two princesses and that rabid girl is on their way here right now, no doubt. Cecily, I want you to head out and obstruct them by any means, except direct confrontation."

"Yes, Erionelle-sama", said a relieved-looking Cecily. She jumped into the wall and disappeared, leaving Erionelle and Lilith alone.

"Lilith", Erionelle began.

Her servant straightened her back.

"You've been with me since I was only ten, training me, honing me until what I am today. Every time I've gone into battle, you've been by my side. You have failed me occasionally, like today, but you've always remained true. I thank you for this."

And so, Lilith was shocked when her princess, her leader, her master, bowed to her. A member of the royalty bowing for a lower demon? Unheard of!

"But after today, Lilith, I will no longer require your services", Erionelle said, stepping a foot closer.

That shocked Lilith even more. "But… _princess!" _

Erionelle held up her hand. "No, it's over Lilith. After today, I will either be dead, or alive, with Setsuna by my side. If I succeed, and manage to leave this city with Setsuna, I have no intention of going into battle ever again. I have only one, last thing to ask of you before I release you. Will you grant me this?"

"Anything! I'm yours!" Lilith exclaimed with passionately.

"Good. Close your eyes."

Lilith did as she was told. Her mind was still not finished processing the princess's monologue. She had been with Erionelle for so many years now, ever since that day when she'd proved herself the strongest among the king's vassals and had been rewarded with the guardianship of the king's only daughter. She could not imagine herself anywhere but at Erionelle's side. But if it was the Princess's wish…

There was no sound, only pain. Lilith's eyes flew open, seeing Erionelle's face, a few centimeters from her own. Her gaze tilted down, and she saw that the princess's right hand was buried in her chest to the wrist. She looked at her master again, parted her lips, tried to speak. All that came out of her mouth however, were a few drops of blood. Her lounges had been punctured.

Erionelle looked her in the eyes, calmly. No guilt, no scorn, nothing. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity to Lilith, until Erionelle drew her arm back, causing her hand to slip out of her servants body, Lilith's still beating heart clutched between her fingers.

Lilith fell back, making a soft thump upon hitting the ground. Gore flowed from the hole in her chest.

Erionelle allowed herself a few seconds of melancholy, thinking of all those times she'd engaged Lilith in single combat on the fields of Adenbulk. She had been a good servant, but Erionelle needed her to make his sacrifice. She would not kill some random human for this. "Goodbye old friend. I release you from my service." And so, without further ado, she walked out of the room, leaving Lilith's corpse where it was. That was all it was after all. A corpse.

The middle man had produced several sharp-looking tools from all kinds of places when she returned. He accepted Lilith's heart eagerly when she offered it to him. "Ah, yes, yes, this is perfect! A young, strong heart, that's exactly what we need. Hmm, wonder how it will affect him? I have never tried something like this, observing the result should be most interesting…"

Rena, who was seated on the room's only couch, reading medical magazines looked up at the old clock above the middle man's desk. A full hour had passed since they'd arrived at the hospital. She got up and tipped herself on the wrist.

Erionelle got the memo. "Middle man, we are out of time. The white princess is drawing near, and my guess is that you'd rather finish with this and be gone from here _before _she arrives."

The middle man nodded. "Of course, but I hope you understand how risky this is. There is no guaranty that he'll walk unscathed away from this. Survive it even."

"I don't care", Erionelle said. "He'll be dead soon anyway, if we do not get that thing out of him."

Rena nodded in agreement.

"So be it", the middle man said. "If there's someone fainthearted among us, I suggest they leave the room."

And with those words he turned to the unconscious Setsuna, Lilith's heart in one hand, a knife in the other.

**AN: And... Lilith(or whatever her real name was) is dead. Oh well, never liked her anyway. **


	9. No fighting in the hospital

Setsuna opened his eyes, blinked, and pushed himself up on one elbow. He was lying in the middle of a misty filed covered with short, soft grass. There was no sound, no wind, nothing. Just pure stillness.

Slowly getting to his feet, Setsuna placed a hand on his chest. His heart ached. Not like the sudden burst of pain he'd experienced at the old factory. No, this pain was… dull somehow. He looked around again, tried to walk a few paces to see if the mist cleared. It didn't, so he walked he few paces more, stopped and listened. Still nothing.

"Hello!?" He shouted.

"Do not waist your breath boy, nobody can hear you. Well, except me of course."

Setsuna whirled around. "You?!"

"Indeed", the middle man grinned, once again in his black and white coat, lifting the brim of his topper with one, gloved hand.

"What is this?" Setsuna asked, motioning at their surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Ah", the middle man said slowly. "Good question."

Setsuna frowned. "What do you mean by that? You don't know?"

"Nope", the middle man said, poking the ground with his walking stick. "But one of these days I intend to find out. I only recently discovered this potion you see, and I haven't had the chance to properly test it out yet. You are the third to try it, if I'm not mistaken."

"Potion?" Setsuna asked, confused. "You mean you gave me something… oh!" Suddenly he remembered everything. "The tea!"

"Indeed", the middle man said again. "I slipped a little something into your cup while Rena-san did her little act to draw your attention. Knocked you right out."

"So… I'm unconscious now?" ¨

"It would seem so." The middle man's eyes became blank for a moment. "Yup, no response."

"Response?"

"Yes, I just slapped you in the face, but you didn't even halt your breathing… ah, it seems Erionelle-san got angry. He, zombie oni and their temperaments..."

"Are you telling me that you are both here, and in the office… at the same time?" Setsuna asked with disbelief.

"Haha!" The middle man exclaimed triumphantly. "That's the genius of it! By mixing my own blood into it, I can retain a connection with the subject's subconsciousness until the potion's effect wears off."

"So you're inside my head?"

"God, no!" The middle man laughed. "I would never fit into such a tiny head… no offence."

"I didn't mean it like that…" Setsuna said indulgently. He had become quite accustomed to the weird dispositions of oni, having lived with both Kanna and Rena for almost a year.

"Of course not dear boy, I'm just having some fun with you." The middle man pulled out a pair of folding chairs from… nowhere. "Please sit down, and I'll explain everything."

Setsuna carefully sat down, not letting the flamboyant figure in front of him out of his sights for a moment. The middle man seated himself comfortably on the chair, placing his right ankle on his left tight. "So, where were we?"

Setsuna motioned at their surrounding again.

"Ah yes, our current location. Well, this _should _be your subconsciousness, one of the deeper layers, but you never can know for sure with these potions."

"Why did you drug me? What's happening in your office right now?"

"Oh, I'm opening your chest with a knife."

Setsuna almost fell of his chair. "What?!"

"Don't worry boy, I'm just removing that delicious heart of yours. I'll replace it with another one, one that will not attract malicious demons from miles away to rip open your ribcage and devour your flesh."

Setsuna was clutching his chest again. He could still feel a faint pain inside. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because Rena-san asked me to. I suppose she and the zombie princess have made some kind of deal. After all, Erionelle-san seems to fancy you."

Setsuna did not know what to say and hence decided to say nothing at all.

"Oh!" The middle man muttered. "Sorry."

Setsuna blinked. "Sorry?"

"It seems I just punctured one of your lungs. It's hard to concentrate on two things at the same time you know, and I must confess my surgery skills are a little rusty."

Setsuna broke into a cold sweat.

"Ah, don't worry boy, I'll fix it in a second… there, it's fixed! And before Erionelle-san realized that I messed up too, phew!"

Setsuna suddenly realized something. "Wait, you said you're replacing my heart?"

"Indeed I am."

"Then where did the other heart come from?"

The middle man waved his question away dismissively. "Don't worry about that, I'm sure Erionelle-san obtained it in a proper way, she's a princess after all." He snickered.

"What are you laughing at?" Setsuna asked suspiciously.

"Oh, just some demon humor. You wouldn't understand, and I don't have time to explain. It's time for us to talk, Kashiwagi Setsuna, man to man, while the girls can't hear us!"

XXXXX

"Are we there yet?"

"Soon, just one more block and we'll be there!"

"You said that four blocks ago!"

"None asked you to come. Besides, isn't it bedtime for you now kiddo?"

Shouko shot Kanna an evil look. _One of these days I'll get you, you damn gorilla. _

Hina was running first, because she was the one doing the tracking. They'd been running for almost ten minutes now, and Shouko was getting short-winded. Seeing how Kanna seemed to not tire at all didn't help her mood either.

"In here, a shortcut!" Hina yelled, running into a back alley.

"God dammit", Shouko murmured. The truth was, the real reason for her frustration was Setsuna. The idiot always got himself into trouble, was that possible for a person who did his best to blend with the wall every time he walked down the halls at school. Then again, he probably hadn't done that before she had… noticed him.

A stab of guilt in her gut. She'd been getting those more and more often lately, every time she remembered how she'd behaved before Kanna, Rena and Hina appeared. Suddenly remembering how Setsuna had saved her in the gym storage room after she'd tried to kill him did nothing to ease her conscience.

_I'll make it up to him. Things have changed, __**I **__changed. When I find him, I'll finally get it right, for sure. _

If she found him. If she found him alive. And as that thought crossed her mind, something above her exploded.

XXXXX

"Man to man?"

The middle man nodded. "That's right, it's time to get down to business. Question nr. 1, how would you describe your relationship with the three princesses?"

"You ask that so sudden", Setsuna mumbled, rubbing his aching chest. The pain was still faint, but annoying still.

"Hey, don't forget that your life is currently in my hands, and literary so. You're in no position to argue." The middle man leaned forward, resting his chin on top of his walking stick. "Let's start with the zombie princess. What is she to you?"

"H-how should I know? I've only met her like… twice!"

"Alright, what is you to her then? She seems to be mighty concerned with your well-being."

Setsuna flushed a little. "Uh, I don't really know. I asked Kanna-san to show some mercy last time we met, when she got all beat up by Kanna-san. Then she suddenly reappears this afternoon and kidnaps me, and then…" his voice trailed off.

"Continue", the middle man said, sounding friendly but commanding.

"Well we kind of… kissed."

"I see. And did she say anything afterwards?"

Setsuna mumbled something inaudible.

"Either I'm experiencing temporary deafness, or you're speaking extremely low boy. I suggest you raise your voice."

"She said that she loved me", Setsuna finally said.

The middle man raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Interesting. What about Rena-san?"

"What about her?" Setsuna asked defensively.

" . . ?"

"I… sort of see her like a friend I guess. A dependable one."

"So you're not afraid of her?"

"No! Why would I be afraid of her!?"

"Well, she did buy your life so that she might eat your heart later."

"I don't care about that! Nobody forced me into this, you should know that better than anyone. I can never repay Kanna-san and Rena-san for what they have done for me!"

The middle man chuckled. "Both earnest _and_ naïve. A dangerous combination." He paused. "And Kanna-san?"

That made Setsuna pause as well. Kanna-san. After all this time, what did he think of her?

"Kanna-san is… very important to me."

"How so?"

Setsuna considered. Should he tell him about how Kanna-san had drunk the love potion and fallen for him as a result? Should he tell him what had happened at the hot springs? It seemed wrong, it was incredibly private, but he'd been dying to talk with someone, _anyone, _about it, ever since he'd seen Kanna-san blush on that train. In the end, he told him.

XXXXX

Shouko's nostrils were filled with dust as the debris from the explosion fell around her. She coughed violently and looked up. Kanna was standing over her, arms to the side like she'd been crucified, head tilted forward. She'd thrown both Hina and Shouko down on the ground and covered them with her body as the wall above them burst. She had her staff out now, looking everywhere for possible attackers, but she could find none.

"Magic!" Hina coughed. "I felt it just before she released it. It was one of the zombie princess's lackeys, the short, annoying one."

"Look who's talking", Shouko moaned, rubbing her head. It had hit the pavement when Kanna threw her down. "Why didn't you detect her sooner?"

"Because I was busy, locking onto the zombie princess!", Hina snapped. "I can't be expected to foresee everything! I'm a sage, not a clairvoyant!"

Shouko lifted her hands. "Ok, ok, I get it already. It wasn't your fault."

Kanna grabbed their elbows and lifted them to their feet effortlessly. "That was a cowardly move. Erionelle must me getting desperate." She looked at the rubble that blocked their path. "Ok, enough screwing around. I don't care if a few humans notice us, from her we're going by rooftop." And just like that, she grabbed her two companions by the waist and launched them into the air.

XXXXX

After hearing the entire story, the middle man contemplated for what seemed like an eternity to Setsuna. Finally, he sighed. "Well this is… troublesome. If what you say is true, and the white princess did not lose her memory like she should have, she could still be harboring feelings for you."

Setsuna laughed openly at the idea. "Come on, someone like Kanna-san could never feel that way about someone like me!"

"Anything is possible boy. The problem is, if both the Kanna-san and Erionelle-san is infatuated by you, then the only solution will be a duel between the two of them. And that boy, could lead to open war between our two clans."

Setsuna's Adam's apple moved up and then down as he swallowed that last bit of information.

"The war would be over quickly, off course. The zombie clan may have their delusions of grandeur, and they may be cunning and skillful when it comes to dark arts, but in an all-out battle between oni, it always comes down to raw strength, and no one can match the royal clan in that arena."

"So, the war wouldn't be a problem? For you I mean?"

"Oh, it would definitely be a problem, even though the zombie clan would be defeated easily. We oni are the ones who keep the lower demons in line, keep them from overrunning the human world completely. If the zombie clan, the strongest clan after our own, were to be wiped out, the balance in the demon world would be disturbed. The lower demons would take advantage of it, maybe even breed out of control."

Setsuna was quiet for a bit. _How did it come to this? I was only supposed to live for a year and then die peacefully. How did everything get so complicated?_

"I can see that this is troubling you", the middle man said. "Truth be told, it would have been better if one of the Princesses had just eaten your heart without any of this romantic nonsense. It may sound harsh to you, but-"

"I understand", Setsuna said calmly.

The middle man tilted his head to the side and studied the young human in front of him. A wry smile formed on his lips. "Good boy. Just make sure to not throw any gasoline on the fire." He rose. "It's been fun talking to you, but the operation is coming to an end, and I need all my concentration for this last part, which is the hardest. Would be a shame to come this far just to fuck up right in front of the finish line. See ya later boy." And just like that, he was gone.

XXXXX

Erionelle, now in demon form, had been clutching the hilt of her longsword for nearly ten minutes now. Usually it gave her a sense of security and calm, but not this time. Not with Setsuna lying motionless like that, ghostly pale, with a giant hole in his chest. Tubes were running into his body, ensuring that blood was still pumped through his veins, keeping the vital organs operational. The middle man looked like a crazy scientist taken out of some kind of low-budget horror movie, his arms soaked in blood all the way up to the elbows. And then it was the smell…

The smell of the banrikou heart filled the room. All three of them were wearing nose clips, but there was no escaping the essence of the heart completely. The middle man seemed relatively unaffected, despite the fact that the source of the delicious smell was only about thirty centimeters below his nose. Erionelle was grinding her teeth, thinking the most unappetizing thoughts possible. She kept one eye on Rena, who was still sitting on the couch, still looking at the magazines. There had been minutes since the last time her eyes moved.

It would have been so much easier if she could just _do _something, but the middle man had refused her offer to help, politely of course. It was probably for the best. What did she know of surgery? She glanced at Lilith's heart, which had been placed on a metal plate. It was still contracting and expanding, still alive. The heart was the source of their demonic powers, and it was incredibly resilient. If Erionelle had walked out of the door now and returned one year later to find it still beating, she would have been unsurprised.

The door to the office was kicked open, and a panicked Cecily stumbled into the room. "The princesses are coming!" She squealed. "They're right outside of the hospital!"

_Dammit, _Erionelle thought. That was much sooner than she'd expected. She had hoped they would be able to complete the surgery before the white princess arrived. She glanced at Setsuna on the desk. Through the hole in his chest, she could see the top of the Banrikou heart. It looked just like any other heart, except for a faint aura only visible to a demons eyes.

The deal she had proposed to the black princess had been simple enough. _You get the heart, I get him. Deal? _Then they'd called the middle man and asked him to assist them. He had accepted, and her she was, so close to, yet so far from reaching her goal.

Cecily noticed the rest of the rooms inhabitants, and what they were doing. "Ah, SHIT! Are they taking his heart out!?"

"Yes Cecily", Erionelle muttered, still deep in thought. She would have to go out there and fight the white princess. There were no time for any tricks or elaborate traps. Just a fight. Hopefully, she would last long enough for the middle man to compete the surgery and insert Lilith's heart into Setsuna's body.

"Wh-what is THAT!" Cecily screamed, pointing at Lilith's heart. "Is that…"

"Do not mind that now", Erionelle ordered with her most commanding voice. "Cecily, you will stay here and ensure that this man does not harm Setsuna. The black princess and I will go down to greet the white princess." She paused, then looked at Rena. "Won't we?"

Rena put down the magazine and produced her exchange diary. "After you."

XXXXX

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Shouko asked doubtfully. "I mean, why a hospital?"

"How should I know?" Hina shot back. "She's in there, I guarantee it. Besides, I can smell the Banrikou heart once again."

"Yes, I feel it too", Kanna said.

"Ok, so what happens now?" Hina asked. "Do we just barge in and proclaim that we're here to save Setsuna or something?"

"I say we divide and conquer", Kanna said. "I go through the main door, you two through the back. One of us has to reach him."

Shouko's default position was to disagree with any proposition put forth by Kanna, but this time the gorilla didn't sound quite so stupid. "Fine with me", she said, taking Hina's hand. "Let's go Hina, time's a wasting." The two of them ran away, disappearing in the darkness.

Kanna walked up to the front door, wondering what the hell was going on. Why had the zombie princes brought Setsuna to a hospital? She froze. Because he'd been hurt when he, Rena and Erionelle were attacked by the lower demons, obviously. Shit!

She stormed through the entrance, knocking a couple of elderly people over in the process. Fuck 'em. They both looked like they could drop dead any minute now anyway.

Inside the lobby, she looked frantically for the elevators. The smell of the Banrikou heart was still relatively far away, and her inner GPS told her it was somewhere much higher up.

She finally spotted the elevator and ran for it. The elevator shaft was made of glass, and she could see the elevator descend as she ran forward. She had almost made it when it reached ground level and the doors opened and two people stepped out. Kana came to a shrieking halt. "What the hell!?"

Erionelle was still in demon form, albeit she'd put her longsword away. Her grey skin drew a lot of fascinated looks from people nearby, and they immediately began to whisper among themselves. They probably thought she had some kind of rare skin disease. Behind her was Rena, who looked at her older sister, her eyes as impassive as ever.

Kanna almost summoned her staff. Then she remembered the witnesses. She could not engage Erionelle with all these people looking. Instead, she began to speak with a low voice. "Rena, would you care to explain to me what the fuck is going on here?"

Rena opened her exchange diary, but Erionelle placed her hand on hers, taking the word. "Please, white princess, I don't wish to fight you right now."

"Oh, but I do", Kanna growled. It was an empty threat though. She couldn't do anything as long as all these people were looking. "Where is Setsuna?"

"Upstairs", Erionelle said.

"Bring him here, and I'll consider letting you walk away from this."

"I'm afraid Setsuna is in no condition to move right now."

That cut like a cold knife through Kanna's anger. "Is he hurt!?"

Erionelle considered for a moment. "That depends on have you look at it. Why don't you step inside and let me take you to him?" She motioned at the empty elevator behind her.

Kanna glanced at Rena one more time, and then said: "You first."

Erionelle and Rena walked into the elevator and Kanna followed. A bill on the wall said that the elevator was built for six people, but it still felt crammed to the brink when Kanna entered. Erionelle pressed the "eight" button, and the door began to close. Kanna turned her head slightly to the side. Nobody in the lobby was paying any attention to them anymore. She moved her gaze back to Erionelle, noticing the way the Zombie princess's muscles were tensing slightly. They all leaned against their respective wall, Kanna eyeing Erionelle, Erionelle and Rena eyeing Kanna.

The elevator door slammed shut, and they all attacked at once.

Kanna began her movement a microsecond before the other two and her right fist found its target, digging into Erionelle's cheek. The zombie princess was slammed into the elevator wall while Rena crashed into Kanna. The black princess used her moment to throw Kanna off-balance, pushing her away from Erionelle with her side. Kanna growled, pushing herself away from the wall with her elbows. By then, Erionelle had recovered. She lunged for Kanna, driving her into a corner with a series of punches and kicks, until Kanna countered and hit her in the face again. Erionelle stumbled backwards, but her place was immediately filled by Rena, who began to deliver a barrage of attacks so fast that they could only be seen as a blur of motion. Kanna dropped into a crouch, sweeping at Rena's feet with a low kick, making her drop. Erionelle jumped forward, jabbing at kanna's face, but the white princess used her superior speed to cross-counter, hitting Erionelle's cheek once again.

At this point, seven seconds had passed since the elevator's door had closed.

XXXXX

After searching for some kind of back entrance in vain, Shouko lost her patience(which was not too unusual for her), ordering Hina to summon one of her smoke familiars to bring them to the roof instead. Hina obeyed, and on the back of the giant rabbit, they made it to the top of the building. A door led into the building, and the two of them slipped inside.

"Where is he?" Shouko hissed. "Can you smell him?"

"Yes, somewhere right below us", Hina whispered, nostrils wide. "_God, _that heart smells good."

Shouko slapped the back of her head. "Don't lose your cool now you idiot!"

"I know, I know", Hina sulked. _I'm so unappreciated. _

When they reached the eight floor, Hina stopped. "There", she whispered, pointing at a door with a common Japanese name written on it. "He's behind that door." She had barely finished the sentence when Shouko pushed her aside and ran for the door. She did not hear Hina's warning shout. The possibility of a trap did not even occur to her. All she knew was that Setsuna, _her _Setsuna was behind that door, and in desperate need of her. So she kicked the door open and skidded into the room, screaming Setsuna's name as she did so.

"Surprise!"

A slender arm slipped around her neck like a python, then tightened. She was thrown to the ground, and a foot was placed on her temple.

"SHOUKO!"

At the edge of her vision, Shouko could see Hina standing in the doorway, clutching her pipe.

"Don't you move an inch red princess, or I'll scorch your master. I'm not fucking around!" It was the youngest of the zombie princess's minions who was talking. _Cecily. She said her name was Cecily. _

"Kill her Hina!" Shouko screamed. "Crush the runt and save Setsuna!"

"I-I can't" Hina stuttered. "If you die, I die!"

Shouko felt the pressure of the foot increase. "Drop your weapon bitch, now!"

Hina was about to do so, when she noticed the other two people present. "Oh, shit!"

Shouko twisted her head to the side. Setsuna was lying on a desk, one arm hanging down. A gigantic, red scar ran across his chest. There was also a tall, blond man in a doctor's outfit there. In his left hand he was holding a bloody, beating…

Shouko shrieked, pushing herself up with a sudden burst of strength ignited by the sight of Setsuna's organ of circulation. Cecily stumbled backwards, and Hina pointed at her with her pipe, screaming. The tiger familiar burst through the wall behind Cecily a second later, catching her in a bear hug of destruction. Cecily had the time to scream once, before every bone in her upper body was crushed.

Shouko lunged blindly for the doctor, or whatever he was. She did not know why, but she _had _to get that heart. If she could just get her fingers around it, Setsuna would be saved.

The doctor took two steps back, which proved to be one step too short. Shouko caught hold of his wrists, kneeing him in the crotch. He grunted, but did not let go of the heart, so she kneed him again. And again.

When he still wouldn't let go, Shouko, still pumped with adrenalin, bit his arm. He yelped in pain and the heart slipped between his fingers. Shouko pushed him away and caught it midair. God, it was warm. It was like holding a piece of glowing coal, she could feel her hand getting burned. But there was no pain. Because at this distance, the heart only centimeters away from her nose, even a human like her could detect the smell. It slipped into her nostrils, travelled through her neurons and into her brain, where the last remnants of the demon who had once possessed her still dwelled. And as of now, it reawakened.

Shouko did not hear Hina nor the middle man scream at her. All that existed was the heart, and her teeth digging into it. Blood flowed into her mouth and down her throat. Usually, she would have retched, but in this state of carnivorous hunger, she finished it in four bites. ¨

For a moment she just stood there, blood running down her chin, Hina looking at her with a face as white as chalk. Then, her chest exploded in pain.

XXXXX

Kanna ran forward and tackled Erionelle through the door, launching them both into the main corridor on the sixth floor. A nurse and a couple of patients screamed in terror, before crawling together in shock. Kanna didn't give a shit. All she cared about was inflicting as much damage as physically possible upon Erionelle's fucking face. But before she could hit her, Rena was there, trapping her in a headlock. Kanna rose to her feet, grabbing Rena with both hands and hurling her into the closest wall. Her sister fell to the ground, blood running down the side of her head.

Erionelle tried to get up, but was at the end of her stamina. Kanna's hand closed around her throat. "It's over", Kanna announced, a devilish grin forming on her face. "Say goodnight sweaty."

Erionelle could not breath. Her vision was getting cloudy, and darkness began to close in from the edges. _No, not after all this. It can't be over already. _But it was over. Without the trickery of magic, the white princess outmatched her completely, and Kanna's eyes were wide with killer intent. It was over.

Two seconds before her neck snapped, Kanna detected the presence. Her hands opened, and Erionelle fell backwards, gasping for air. She could feel it to. An aura unlike anything she'd felt before. Not an oni, nor a demon. Something… different.

"What the fuck..?" Kanna whispered.

**AN: Don't come here and tell me you saw **_**that **_**coming. (grins)**


	10. Demon girl

Like a swimmer trapped in a maelstrom Setsuna was sucked out of his temporary sanctuary and thrown back into his body. For the third time that day he opened his eyes after awakening from an unconscious state. He blinked twice, momentarily confused before his memories returned. Still partially drugged, he got up on both hands and looked around.

For one second he thought he was back in the dreamland he'd just visited, then he realized that what he thought was mist was actually dust, hanging in the air like mist, the difference being that mist was cool and wet, while the dust made him cough violently and stung in the eyes. The ceiling lamp seemed to have been crushed as well. It was _so_ dark.

"Hello! Anyone here!?"

No answer. Though he thought he could hear the sound of faint screams from somewhere below. What on earth had happened? He slid of the desk and tried to look around, but the dust was still too thick. He took two steps in the direction he meant the door should be, and tripped with a scream. His hands were scratched when he hit the floor, which was covered in glass and rubble and... something wet… and sticky… and RED! He screamed again and tried to wipe off the blood on his hands on his black shirt, but to no avail. He crawled backwards and his leg touched something. It moaned.

It took every single milligram of courage he had, but he turned his head and looked at the source of the moaning.

The being that had once been Cecily, a proud member of the zombie oni clan, was now nothing but a pile of smashed meat and broken bones. She was half buried in parts of the broken wall behind her. The only part of her body that was relatively unharmed was her face, which stared at him with unflinching hostility. "This is your fault", her black eyes said, before the blankness crept into them, extinguishing the last spark of life within her.

Setsuna remained frozen in place, until a shadow fell over him. He twisted around, ready for anything.

"There you are", said a low voice with content.

Setsuna blinked twice, sure his eyes were deceiving him. "Arima-san?" She was possibly the last person he'd expect to see standing right in front of him, but there she was, in her usual attire, her face was hidden in the dark.

"Arima-san!" He exclaimed, and reached out to touch her, just to make sure she was real. Yes, the nylon of her torn stockings were definitely real, and so was the warm skin beneath. Then he realized what he'd just done.

"AH, sorry!" He shouted, putting his arms up like a shield. She would be pissed he'd dared to touch her intimately like that.

But she wasn't. Instead, she put her arms around his neck and his face into her chest, gently.

"Mmmmffff!" He grunted, his voice muffled. He twisted his head around, so that he could speak properly. "What are you doing!?"

"I'm so glad you're alright", she said softly, stroking the back of his head. Her touch gave him goosebumps. "When I first saw you lying on that desk, so pale, with your heart in _his _hands, I thought you were dead. I never want to experience that feeling again."

That reminded him of the surgery. He pushed one hand under brim of his shirt and touched his chest. He could feel the outline of the scar beneath his fingers. It stretched from his right kidney to his left shoulder. Inside his chest, he could feel a heart beating steadily. No pain, no weakness. He was healed. He was alive.

_I'm going to live, _he suddenly realized. The realization brought a tear to his eyes. He had accepted the fact that he would die from the moment Kanna explained to him about the Banrikou heart, without regret or fear. He had only been thankful for the fact that his death, when it finally came, would actually mean something, and not just be the result of cruel circumstances and fortuity. But when Kanna and Rena came in to his life, without realizing it, he'd slowly begun to enjoy life once again, like he'd done before his father succumbed to his lung cancer.

_I want to live. Everything is going to be different. No debt, no bullying from Arima-san and the others, Mirei can finally live a life of her own, and Kanna and Rena… KANNA AND RENA!_

He put his hands on Shouko's shoulders, pushing her back. "Arima-san, where are the others!? Rena was here, so was Erionelle and the middle man. I heard Kanna got hurt, is she okay? Is Hina here with you?"

"I wish you wouldn't call me that."

Setsuna blinked. "Huh, what do you mean?"

Shouko's face was still partially shrouded in darkness, so he couldn't read her expression, but her voice was somehow both sad and angry at the same time.

"Why am I the only one you refer to by surname? You talk to _them _using their first names."

Setsuna was thrown off by the randomness of the question. "I… guess I always referred to that way, ever since-" He broke of the sentence before he could finish it. _Since you started to bully me. _

Her clasped his face, pulling it towards hers. "I'm so sorry for the things I did to Setsuna. I can't even begin to describe it. I… I was a dumb bitch, running away from what I really wanted…" She pulled him closer, "…which was always…" her warm breath washed over his face, making his head spin, "this."

Her mouth closed around his. At first she was gentle, merely pushing her lips against his, sucking a little on his upper lip, her fingers trailing down his neck. Then she got more aggressive, like a predator who's gone to long without eating, her tongue invading his mouth, scratching his back with her hands.

Setsuna was shocked. He'd had always kind of known it, but he was still taken completely aback by her sudden confession, just like that time in the storage room when she'd tried to seduce him. For several seconds, he could only sit there while she had her way with him. Then he got back his senses and pushed her back again. "Arima-san, don't-"

"_**I told you **__**I didn't want you **__**TO CALL ME THAT!**_"

All of a sudden her voice had a terrifying ring to it, and an all too familiar aura pressed against him like a physical force. She put her hands on his chest and forced him violently down on the ground, sitting down on his stomach.

"Arima-san!" He gasped. _What the hell is going on? This aura, it feels just like…_

She bowed down so that her eyes were only inches from his, and with his night vision starting to kick in, he could see her face perfectly for the first time. Her eyes. Her irises had become blood red, and her pupils were oval, like they belonged to cat. Or an oni.

"**Why are you acting like this!? Was it that doctor? Did he enchant you somehow while digging through your chest? Answer me!" **She shook him by the collar of his shirt. Her eyes had a gleam in them he did not like at all.

"Arima-san, what happened to _you!? _Are you possessed again!?"

That seemed to calm her down, a little. She let go of his collar and studied her hands. "**I ate it**."

That made no sense to Setsuna. "You ate _it? _What are you talking about!?" Then the obvious answer hit him. "Jesus, you're talking about the Banrikou heart!"

"**I do not care what the demons named the damn thing. It is inside **_**me**_** now, filling me with its power.**"

She leaned down again, caressing his cheek. "**It's okay Setsuna. I don't know what those beast had planned for you, but it's not going to happen. I have power now, and I'll use it to protect you.**"

There was the sound of something hitting the floor, and then a desk lamp was turned on at the other end of the room. Setsuna blinked, momentarily blinded, then he looked around Shouko's body and saw that it was Hina who stood there, covered in blood. The dust had finally settled, and he saw her quite clearly. She looked beaten and tired, and was using the desk as support. She was not looking at him, but at the back of Shouko's head.

"It's gone", she whispered. Then she collapsed.

"Hina!" Setsuna shouted, trying to get up. Shouko held him down with ease.

"**Relax Setsuna, I just roughed her up a little. She tried to stop me from acquiring the power of the heart.**"

"_You _did that to her!? Are you mad!?"

"**She betrayed me Setsuna. Me, her master. She deserved what she got.**"

"What did you do to the middle man?!"

"**Who?**"

"The doctor!"

"**The blonde? He ran away, the coward.**"

"Perhaps", said a voice from the hole in the wall behind them. "But cowards have a tendency to survive, while the brave and bold all too often goes to an early grave."

Setsuna twisted his head around. The middleman was standing just two meters away from them, together with Kanna. They were flanked by Rena and Erionelle, who both looked somewhat messed up.

"Kanna-san!" Setsuna cried happily. It seemed like a small eternity since he'd seen her last. She did not look at him though. Her eyes were locked to Shouko's.

"Get off him kid", she said. "Now."

A thin smirk formed on Shouko's lips. "**If you insist." **She got to her feet slowly.

"Demon law require me to kill you for consuming the Banrikou heart", Kanna said, looking more serious than Setsuna had ever seen her. "But I'm willing to let this slide, _if _you stand down and let us remove the power you've stolen."

_You can do that? _Setsuna thought.

"**I don't think so, you filthy brute of a shaved monkey**", Shouko sneered. "**In fact, I think I'll kill you right here, for all the things you've done, and all the things you planned to do. Setsuna is **_**mine.**_"

"Easy there miss", the middle man said diplomatically. "There's no need for this to get ugly. If your concerns regard Kashiwagi-san, there's no need to worry. The princesses have no intention of harming him."

Shouko looked at him with contempt. "**You're one of them, I can smell it. Shut your damn mouth before I rip it off.**"

"This is pointless", Erionelle growled, stepping forward. "The magic is overpowering her ability to think rationally. We should behead her before she harms Setsuna."

That made Shouko's eyes widen. "**You **_**dare **_**say that about **_**me **_**after what you did when you first got here? I'll kill you as well, no, I'll kill all four of you." **She glanced down at Setsuna. "**When you are gone, everything will be okay again.**"

"Keep dreaming princess", Kanna said, lunging forward. Her staff materialized in her hands. She swung it like a bat, ramming it into Shouko's side, sending her flying through the only wall that had not yet been crunched. Kanna went through the hole after her, with Rena right behind her. The black princess had one katana left, and she was clutching the hilt with both hands. Erionelle and the middle man grabbed Setsuna by the elbows, jerked him to his feet and dragged him out of the room though the first hole.

"Where are we going!?" Setsuna protested. "They are fighting back there, inside a hospital! People could get hurt!"

"The princesses know what they're doing boy", the middle man said. "They'll make sure to draw your girlfriend away from any potential civilians. They won't be able to restrain her for long though. The heart has infused her with immense power." As if to prove his point, a gigantic bang echoed through the hallway, and Setsuna could have sworn the floor shook beneath him.

"Setsuna", Erionelle said urgently. "Are you okay? Is there any pain?"

"Fine, I'm fine", Setsuna breathed. "That's more than can be said for you though." Erionelle face was bloodied and swollen. Fresh blood ran from a cut on her temple. "I'm ok", she said sternly. "What's important is to get you out of here."

XXXXX

Kanna staggered backwards, trying to regain focus on her enemy. Her staff was on the ground, broken in half.

"**That all you got, monkey?**" Shouko mocked. "**After all that bragging, this is all you can do!?**"

It had been so easy at first. She'd sent the bitch through the wall, then followed and dealt out three blows before Shouko recovered. Panicked, Shouko had tried to run past her, after Setsuna, who was being taken away by Erionelle and the middle man. Rena had surprised her with a low cut, drawing blood from Shouko's left leg. Kanna had then went in for the kill while Shouko was distracted by the bleeding, aiming for the pelvis. That was when everything went to hell.

Shouko had been faking her distress with the blood, and when the staff came within reach, she had whirled around with incredible speed, locking her arms around it. Kanna was shocked by how easily she stopped it. But with the two of them locked together like that, Rena had taken the opportunity to go for Shouko's neck. Shouko had grunted, and then lifted both Kanna and the staff into the air, slamming them into the black princess. They were both thrown into the wall, and when Kanna looked up, Shouko had shattered her staff like a toothpick. Now she was weaponless, at a clear disadvantage.

Even so, she forced a cocky smile on her lips. "Was just testing you kid. The real fight starts now." She pushed herself away from the wall. In her current state, Shouko was both stronger and faster than her, not to mention better rested, but Kanna still had one thing she didn't. An abundance of fighting experience.

Shouko took a swing at her face. She was fast, yes, but clumsy, and her eyes betrayed her movements. Kanna caught her wrist with both her hands, twisting it around. Shouko hissed, pulling another wild punch at Kanna's face. _Bad choice kid, you should have gone for the gut. _Shouko's fist grazed her temple, but failed to make contact. Kanna twisted around and used Shouko's own momentum to pull her off balance, and slam her down onto the ground. Then Rena was there. Her eyes were as black as her title when she stabbed Shouko in the gut.

XXXXX

When they finally reached the lobby, they were met with complete chaos, and Setsuna was horrified at the sight of an old man twitching on the ground. A nurse caught the middle man's sleeve when they ran past him. "Doctor, you have to help me! He's having a heart attack!"

The middle man pushed her away. "Yes, yes, I can see that. Guaromoshi-san is a though man. Give him some morphine and plug him into a breathing machine and he'll be fine."

She looked after them, equal amounts of shock and terror on her face.

"What are you doing!? You have to help him!" Setsuna shouted as the dragged him out to the parking space.

Erionelle moaned and pushed him into a grey Toyota, headfirst. "For once in your life, could you think of your own wellbeing, instead of anyone who crosses your path?"

The middle man jumped into the driver seat and kicked the engine alive. "Fasten your seatbelts children, you're about to see what a winner of a Grand Prix motor race can do!"

"Where are we going!?" Setsuna shouted once again.

"Away", the middle man said simply. "We're going to use you as bat to lure the Arima girl into a trap."

Erionelle hissed. "No one said anything about this!"

"Calm down princess, there's no other any."

"I disagree. Maybe I should throw you out of this car and take Setsuna with me back to Adenbulk, right now."

"You do that", the middle man said impassively. "And when Shouko-san finally tracks you down, because she will, she'll cut your breasts off and stuff them down your throat. Or maybe we deal with this now, ok?"

For one second, Setsuna thought Erionelle would punch right through the headrest of the middle man's seat. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes. "Fine. What do you propose?"

"I have a safe house right outside of town. I have some things stashed there that could help us."

"Take us there then."

"Erionelle-san", Setsuna said carefully.

"Yes, Setsuna?"

"What are we going to do about Arima-san?"

"Stop her by any means necessary."

"Kill her you mean?"

"If I see no other solution, yes."

"But she is not herself!" Setsuna protested. "The real Arima-san wouldn't go berserk like that."

"That doesn't change the fact that we have to stop her."

Setsuna bit his lip. "Maybe I could…"

His voice trailed off when Erionelle grabbed his chin and put her face up against his. "No", she said simply. "You won't be doing anything reckless this time. If you get hurt because you put yourself in harm's way needlessly, I won't forgive you, Kashiwagi Setsuna."

Her eyes left no room for debate. Setsuna nodded.

XXXXX

When Rena stabbed Shouko in the gut the demonized high schooler let out a scream of pure rage. The katana still solidly planted in her stomach, she threw Kanna away with one arm, and used the other to shatter the blade, which she then ripped out of her body and hurled at Rena. The black princess twisted her body to the side, the edge of the blade brushing against her cheek as it flew past her face. The two princesses retreated a few meters, observing the impact of their last offensive.

For a split second, it looked like Shouko was finished. She sat on her knees, swaying, blood running from her stomach wound and down her uniform. But just as Kanna was about to relax, the bleeding stopped, and Shouko jumped to her feet. The injury had already healed.

Grinning, the dark-haired girl brushed some dust off her sleeve. "That's the best you two can do? I've felt worse while having my period."

Kanna put up a grin of her own to hide how intimidated she felt. This girl had just been pierced by a royal artifact, and she was completely _fine? _"That was just the warm up, kid. Ready for round two?"

"Off course", Shouko said. "In fact, I think I'm going to take it to a whole new level." And with that, a fireball the size of a football shot out from her left hand.

Kanna should have anticipated it. The knowledge of all the powers the Banrikou heart granted to the one who devoured it had been drilled into her as a child. Supreme power when it came to both strength, speed… and magic. And yet, when Shouko pulled her first spell, her reaction was way too slow and thus, the fireball hit her in the face.

XXXXX

"Here we are!"

The middle man had stopped beside an old, rusty caravan, in the middle of a rubbish dump. The middle man jumped out of the Toyota and slapped the side of it lovingly. "Hello old friend, it's been too long!"

"Living in filth like a pig", Erionelle observed. "How expected from a member of the eastern oni clan."

The middle man pushed the entrance door open with an elbow. "Now, now princess, you shouldn't judge a man's home before having taken a proper look." He gestured for them to follow as he entered the caravan.

Setsuna and Erionelle exchanged looks, then the zombie princess shrugged and walked after the blond oni. Setsuna followed.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed upon entering the mobile home.

"Yes, it sure is something isn't it?" The middle man grinned. They were standing in the middle of a gigantic apartment, with exquisite furniture and windows that faced what looked most of all like a Caribbean beach. The middle man seated himself on a mahogany couch with red cushions. "A gift from the clan leader", he said, opening a bottle of sake. "Ah, the benefits of magic! Poor humans who have to make do without it."

Erionelle took three steps and slapped the bottle out of his hands. It flew into a mirror in a silver frame, breaking it. "What are you doing you idiot! We came here to find a way to neutralize that Arima girl, not to get drunk!"

The middleman steadied his monocle, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so little. "It's always business with you zombie oni. Very well, I shall look for a remedy. While I do this, I suggest you think of a way to delay Shouko-san when she finally appears."

"Fine."

"I have some weapons and other… toys in that closet over there. Since you've lost that lovely longsword of yours, they should be of use to you."

Erionelle looked down on him with iron in her eyes. "That make sure you do your part easterner, and I will do mine."

XXXXX

When Kanna finally awoke, Shouko was long gone. She was lying with her head in Rena's lap, her little sister wrapping bandages around her burned face. The burns hurt like hell, but not half as much as the knowledge that she'd been one upped by a spoiled brat in a school uniform. She sat up, pushing her sister away. "What… what happened her? Where's Shouko!?"

Rena gestured at yet another hole in the wall. This one faced the streets below them.

"Gone already huh? Dammit!" She got to her feet, feeling dizzy. She'd taken more damage the last 12 hours than she'd had her entire life. There wasn't a single muscle in her body that didn't ache.

"What the hell did you waste your time with me for!? You should have gone after that bitch! She might already have her hands on Setsuna!"

Rena's exchange diary had somehow survived the last two fights. "Erionelle and the middleman are looking after him. You needed my help the most."

In any other situation, Kanna would've been touched by Rena's uncharacteristic display of affection, but she had no time for it now.

"We have no time for this now", she said. "How long since she got away?"

Rena held up seven fingers.

"Shit! Dammit!" She tried reaching out for her staff, then remembered that it was broken, as was Rena's last katana. They were both weaponless now. And Setsuna could no longer summon them to his side whilst being in danger, now that he no longer had the Banrikou heart. Speaking of which…

"Rena, how did you find a new heart for Setsuna? Wouldn't his body reject a replacement void of magic after having been altered by the power of the Banrikou for so long?"

"Erionelle got it from one of her servants."

"Oh. Which one?"

"The rapist."

Kanna remembered what Lilith had almost done to her at the old factory.

"She dead?"

Nod from Rena.

"Oh, finally some good news."

XXXXX

Erionelle was both surprised and a little impressed by the amount of content in the middleman's armory. Steel armor, swords and knives, bows and even modern firearms. She equipped it all, except for the latter. She would never dishonor herself by using such a cowardly weapon, even if her life was at stake. Then she remembered that Setsuna's life was at stake as well. So, grudgingly, she grabbed a sawed-off shotgun and made Setsuna show her how to load it with cartridges.

"You are going to use all this to delay Arima-san?" Setsuna asked nervously when they were done. Erionelle was now loaded with so much metal that Setsuna was amazed she could stand upright.

"Yes, though I honestly doubt this will help much. If our friend in there cannot find a way to negate the Banrikou, I don't think I will be able to stop her."

Setsuna pinched the root of his nose. "I can't believe that this would happen. I didn't even know that humans could acquire its power."

Erionelle looked at him tiredly. "Neither did I. It must have something to do with the fact that she's been possessed before. Still, it would take extreme emotional turmoil to-"

The middleman appeared beside them, holding a tiny bottle of some sort of black liquid. "I've done it!" He exclaimed, more fired up than Setsuna had ever seen him. "In just ten minutes I completed one of the hardest elixirs in the elder book! I truly am a genius!"

Erionelle looked at the bottle skeptically. "That would neutralize the Banrikou?"

"Indeed it would. This formula was originally developed in case the Banrikou heart should be devoured by a lesser demon, but I'm 76,8 % sure it will work on a human as well."

Erionelle raised an eyebrow. "76,8%?"

"More or less. It's the only way to neutralize the power of the Banrikou without killing our dear Arima-san, and to be frank, I don't think you would be able to kill her in a one on one fight either."

Erionelle frowned, but did not protest that last statement. "So what do I with this potion, force her to drink it somehow?"

"That would be quite impossible, I think. I'm going to fill some of those arrowheads with this elixir. If you can just hit her with one of them, it should do the trick."

Erionelle nodded and handed over three arrows from the quiver on her back. "How long do you need?"

"A few minutes only, but… ah, I think we may have some company."

"What?" Setsuna asked as Erionelle's head snapped around. "Dammit", she growled. "She's already here!"

"Arima-san!?" Setsuna croaked. "She's here!?"

Erionelle ran for the door. "Middleman, I'll buy you some time to finish those arrows."

"Wait!" Setsuna shouted, grabbing her wrist. "She'll kill you! Let me go instead, I can talk to her and…"

"NO!" Erionelle growled, slapping his hand away. "I will not allow you to endanger yourself again. Not after all I went through to ensure your safety."

"Please, Erionelle-san!" Setsuna shouted, water starting to leak from his eyes. "I know I'm weak and useless, but if there's anything I can do…"

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him close. She allowed herself three seconds of her lips pressing against his. Shouko was close now, speeding up. She could feel it. She pulled back, placing one armored hand on his cheek. He was looking at her with wonder. Erionelle forced a reassuring smile to her face. She was still not used to smiling.

"Before I go out there, I want you to know this: You may be weak, but only when it comes to superficial strength. Your heart is stronger than everyone else's, something you've shown many times, including when you saved me. That is why I love you, Kashiwagi Setsuna. That is why I'm willing to die for you. Now, please go and help that crazy oni over there with his beloved elixir, so that I can end this."

She could see that he'd just begun to process this last monologue of hers when she pushed him back slammed the door shut. She took a few steps back and jumped on top of the caravan. The armor slowed her down a bit, but the benefit it would provide her with in close combat was worth it, especially since the middleman seemed to have charmed it.

The night was black as ink now, but her gaze had no trouble zooming in on the girl that was currently running up the hill with the speed of a cheetah. By Azazel, she was fast. Faster than Kanna, faster than Rena, and certainly faster than her. Shouko's nose was in the air, locking onto Setsuna's scent. Their eyes met, and Shouko came to a halt, about a quarter of a mile away from the caravan.

Erionelle dropped the samurai sword she'd chosen as her primary close-combat weapon and shook the bow of her shoulders. She was familiar with this weapon, and strung the first arrow expertly. Shouko saw what she was doing, and responded by accelerating forward again. Erionelle aimed for a second or two, then let go.

Shouko made a quick dart to the side, dodging the arrow with ease. Didn't even get close to hitting her. She strung another, with even more force this time. Shouko dodged again, skidding across the dust. Only enough time left for one more shot. Erionelle strung her last arrow, closing one eye, trying to predict where her opponent would go. She waited for as long as she dared, until she could see the white in her eyes. Then she flicked her wrist and fired.

Shouko dodged to the left, just like she'd predicted. The arrow slammed into her right shoulder, knocking her over. She feel to her knees, screaming, in rage, in pain, maybe one of them, maybe both. She ripped the arrow out of her body, not giving a single fuck about the meat and blood that went with it, and stumbled forward. Erionelle dropped the bow, grabbed the sword and jumped forward, picturing her next move.

Knee hits nose. Nose breaks.

They both tumbled to the ground, Shouko clutching her face. Erionelle's kneecap had blinded her momentarily, and Erionelle used the short break she'd won to roll to her feet and take up a defensive stance.

Shouko opened her eyes and rose, still clutching her nose. She took a deep breath, and mumbled something inaudible. There was a sound that could cause gooseflesh on any person, and when Shouko removed her hands from her face, the nose was back in place.

"Nice trick", Erionelle commented. _She can use magic as well now. Amazing. _

"**You'll pay for that you bitch", **Shouko hissed, her voice more terrifying than ever. "**What I did to the monkey's face is nothing compared to what I'll do to you now." **

Erionelle bent her knees like Lilith had instructed her to do so many times, thereby lowering her center of gravity. "Come at me."

Shouko's shoes had been tramped to shreds after the long run to the dump, and now her naked heels dug into the ground as she shot forward. Erionelle loosened a knife from her belt, throwing it at her opponent. Shouko didn't even bother dodging. She just let the blade dig into her left shoulder blade. So far into her frenzy was she, that she did not even feel it.

Erionelle felt the other demon's knuckles graze her chin as she jumped backwards. She had timed it perfectly. The girl was much faster than her, but her moves couldn't possibly be more predictable. The zombie princess gave her a slash across the stomach, then rolled beneath the inevitable roundhouse kick, loosening another knife as she did so. She threw it as soon Shouko had turned around, aiming for the lung this time. Shouko was too busy watching Erionelle's face rather than her hands, and also this knife found its mark. Shouko's only reaction was a blink.

_You can take punishment, I'll give you that girl_, Erionelle thought as she dealt another slash. She had been counting ever since she'd stormed out of the door. She needed to give the middleman some time. Just a few minutes more…

And just like that, Shouko caught the blade of the sword in her hand, crushing it like Erionelle had done herself the first time she faced Rena. She let go of the hilt and raised her hand to block the incoming blow. Not fast enough. Had it not been for the charms the middleman had put on the armor, Shouko would have punched right through it. It still felt like being hit by a monster truck though.

_Dammit! Need more time! _Another item from the middleman's armory was in her hand, a small capsule, containing a compressed mixture of sulfuric acid. She threw it at Shouko's face as she staggered backwards, where it exploded.

Shouko screamed, clawing wildly at her face. Erionelle suppressed the pounding pain in her chest, where Shouko had hit her, and struck her opponent in the face. Shouko lashed out at her blindly, but Erionelle ducked and countered by reaching up and grabbing the demonized girl by the temples, bringing Shouko's face down while bringing her right knee up.

Nose broke again.

_I'm winning, _Erionelle thought. _The easterner said I couldn't beat her, but I'm winning! I can end this now, if I use the shotgun. _While still holding Shouko's head down with one hand, she grabbed the shotgun, which was fastened to her back, with the other. However, before she could use it, the door to the caravan was kicked open and Setsuna jumped out. "Erionelle-san!" He shouted, waving the three arrows she'd given to the middleman like a flag. "They're finished!"

The distraction was just what Shouko needed. Quick as a viper she put her arms around Erionelle's waist and tightened her hold. Erionelle felt the air being pressed out of her lungs. _No! _For one moment, she was back in the training hall in Adenbulk, listening to one of Lilith's pep talks. "When fighting an enemy of superior strength, don't get too close. Use your speed instead, and look for a weakness. And whatever you do, _never _let them get their arms around you."

Through a fog of pain, Erionelle could see Shouko's bloodied face, smiling up at her, that type of smile that says: "I'm gonna kill you and piss on your corpse." Her armor was about to give in, charms or no charms. Only one thing to do…

She pressed the muzzle of the shotgun against Shouko's gut, as hard as she could, and fired.

The sound was much louder than she'd expected from what she'd heard of human firearms. The two of them were ripped apart and she fell down on her back, gasping for air. Something wet and sticky was all over her face, in her eyes and in her mouth. Metal and salt. She spit it out.

Then Setsuna was there, his handsome face twisted in panic. "Erionelle-san! Are you okay!?"

She tried to answer, but the only thing that escaped her mouth was a hoarse wheeze. She forced herself up on one elbow and looked for Shouko. The young girl lay on the ground a few meters away. Where her tight stomach had been there was now a gigantic hole, which provided an all too clear sight into the girl's insides. Erionelle had seen worse, but Setsuna, fainthearted as he was, took one look at his schoolmate and began to retch violently.

"I'm sorry Setsuna", Erionelle grunted as she slowly got to her feet. "It was either her or me. I hope you understand."

Setsuna clutched the three arrows in his hand and nodded, but she could see tears start to flood his eyes. He was such a gentle person. She was about to put her arms around him when Shouko's hands twitched.

Erionelle froze, unable to believe her own eyes as Shouko _sat_ up. The meat that surrounded the gaping hole in her gut started to move, and within seconds the hole was gone, replaced by smooth, white skin.

Erionelle pushed Setsuna away and lunged for her enemy, hoping to strike her down before she could recover completely. For a moment it seemed she would succeed. Shouko's eyes were unfocused and Erionelle had the momentum. Her fists had just a few milliseconds of travel left when Shouko vanished into thin air. Erionelle was briefly aware of movement on her left before something crashed into the side of her head with tremendous force.

Somehow managing to stay on her feet, Erionelle turned and put up her arms, but the next strike passed beneath her block and hit her in the ribs. She felt three of them go.

Shouko was in front of her now, her eyes calm for the first time. She handed out another punch, way too fast for Erionelle to follow. She was punched in the face, in the gut, in the ribs, in the kidneys, and in the face again. Someone was screaming. Setsuna. Setsuna was screaming.

_No, it's too soon! Damn you! _She punched back, aiming for the bloodied nose. Her fist made contact. More bones shattered. But Shouko didn't seem to care anymore. Her eyes were completely lost. _Mad dog! I'll put you down! _Erionelle tried her best. She really did, but even so, she was unable to hit Shouko again. The crazed girl hit her though. The next two blows hit her in the face, and suddenly, Erionelle couldn't see. Something hit her lower jaw, sending her spiraling. _Uppercut. _

Moments later, Erionelle had dust in her mouth. And blood, her own this time. A foot was placed on her shoulder, pushing her onto her back. Something was wrong. She couldn't see a thing. Was she blind? Someone was talking, begging.

"Shouko-san, please stop!"

_Setsuna… run._

"**Even now you side with **_**them, **_**after I nearly died to protect you." **

Shouko, somewhere above her.

"Please, show her mercy! I'll do anything, come with you anywhere you want, just don't kill her!"

_Setsuna is in danger… have to get up. _She managed to move her left arm, but not the right. Something was wrong with it. She couldn't feel her legs either.

"**Oh, you'll come with me alright, but not before I've slaughtered this bitch. Stay back Setsuna, don't make me hurt you."**

_Move, damn legs! _

"Please, Shouko-san, this isn't like you at all! It's the Banrikou, it's clouding your mind!"

"**On the contrary, I see everything much clearer now."**

Erionelle was vaguely aware of being hauled up by the arms. She still couldn't see a thing.

"**Don't look away Setsuna. Let what I'm about to do to this bitch serve as a reminder. Don't ever go against me again."**

"No!"

Erionelle felt her left arm fall down as Shouko let go of it. There was a swish of air and a grunt of pain.

"**You DARE attack ME!? I won't say this again, stay back or I'll hit you for real!" **

Anger surged through Erionelle's veins, making her blood run hot. For a moment, her vision cleared and she could see Shouko's face above her. _I can still move one arm. If nothing else, I'll at least break your nose one more time for hurting Setsuna, you insufferable little brat. _Right hook.

Shouko stopped her punch with her palm, effortlessly. **"Oh, the zombie girl still has some fight left in her?" **She crushed the zombie princess's fist like a ball of glass. Erionelle screamed.

"**I've had just enough of you damn demons. Die." **

Both her hands closed around Erionelle's throat. The zombie princess could not even move a finger. For the second time in less than an hour, she about to be choked to death.

"Sorry kid, but if anyone's going to kill the zombie princess, it'll be me."

"**What… argh!" **

Erionelle's face was pressing against the ground again. Kanna. That was Kanna's voice. Kanna had come.

XXXXX

Kanna flexed her fingers. Holy shit that kid had a head as hard as a rock. She spent Erionelle a quick look. The zombie princess looked dead already, her face beaten to a pulp. She was not getting up anytime soon. Setsuna was using the side of the caravan as support. He looked relatively unharmed, thank god, save the few drops of blood that were dripping from his nose. Then there was Shouko, who was currently clutching her head, trying to figure out what was going on.

"**How… how did **_**you **_**get her so fast!?" **Shouko growled.

"I had a little help", Kanna answered, and behold, two figures appeared beside her.

Shouko frowned. "**Hina, you brought her here? How dare you!?" **

"You've left me no choice", Hina said, her hair fluttering about as she walked through the portal. "You've completely lost your mind Shouko."

"And we're here to put you down**", **Rena wrote.

For a moment, Shouko seemed taken aback, then she smiled devilishly. "**You fools, have you forgotten? Hina is my slave." **She raised her hand at the red princess. "**Hina, as your master I order you to kill these interlopers!" **

"Nope", Hina said.

Shouko's eyes widened. "**I said, kill them!"**

"No."

"**I order you!"**

"None can do."

Shouko's hands tightened into fists. "**What the hell is this!? You shouldn't be able to defy me!" **

Hina tapped her forehead. "As long as I was marked with the brand of dominion, I could not go against you, but the fact is, I no longer have it."

"**What!?" **

"Yes, it appears the connection between us was severed when the power of the Banrikou settled in your body. When I realized that, I healed Kanna's wounds and transported us here."

Shouko barked out a harsh laughter. "**What's it going to be, Hina? Are you going to try to kill me?" **

Hina's lips quivered a little, but the determinate look in her eyes did not waver. "You no longer control your own actions. You've completely succumbed to your own desires. I'll do what I must."

"**That's a nice little monologue, Hina, but let me tell you one thing. Ever since I ate the heart, I've been feeling my power growing. In less than an hour, my strength has more than doubled. I just wrecked that little bitch after she blew out my entrails." **A ball of fire was ignited in each of her hands. "**So let me ask you this one last time. What's it going to be?" **

Hina summoned her smoke familiars. The rabbit, tiger and lion made the ground shake upon hitting it. Hina lifted her pipe and pointed it straight at Shouko. "Attack."

**AN: The stage is set for the final act. Kanna/Rena/Hina vs. Shouko. Can they bring her back to her old self, or will she make short work of them too? Find out in next week's finale(epilogues will also follow)! **


	11. Climax

**AN: Merry Christmas! Here's the final battle for you! **

Led by Kanna, the three familiars charged forward. Meanwhile, Rena skirted around the commotion, towards Setsuna.

"**Oh no you don't**!" Shouko yelled, hurling both her fireballs at the black princess. Rena jumped back, unharmed, but now her path to Setsuna was blocked by a supernatural blaze. Shouko made a quick gesture with her hand, and suddenly, the fire had encircled Setsuna completely, trapping him in a cage of flames.

"**No stealing before the battle is over bitch. The prize goes to the winner!**"

Kanna roared in anger upon seeing Setsuna endangered like this. She jumped forward, gathering all her destructive force in her right hand. Even so, Shouko blocked her with ease.

"**So slow**", she mocked, kicking Kanna in her midsection. The white princess crashed into the ground, gasping in pain. Before Shouko could go for the kill however, the smoke familiar closed around her, and she was forced to defend herself.

"Kanna!" Hina called out. "You can't match her with brute strength, you have to fight smartly!"

"I know!" Kanna snapped, jumping back to her feet. Just as she did so, Shouko jumped up and ripped out the rabbit's eyes, causing it to go into a frenzy and hit the tiger. Meanwhile, Rena was still trying to get to Setsuna, but the fire that surrounded him seemed to be alive, and it would lash out at her like a tangle of fiery snakes.

"Forget it Rena!" Kanna shouted. "She won't hurt him, come and help us instead!" _We're going to have to gang up on her to win this, and even that might not be enough. If push comes to shove, I'm gonna have to use _that.

Rena reluctantly turned away from the trapped Setsuna and began to circle Shouko, looking for an opening. Kanna ran forward and tried to take her by surprise while she was fighting the lion familiar, but Shouko twisted around at the last moment possible, blocking with her elbow.

"**Didn't you hear me, you monkey?" **She punched Kanna in the stomach, causing her to crash into the ground again, spit flying from her mouth. "**You're going to have to do a lot better than that." **She whirled around and ripped the lion familiar's chest open. Nothing came out, but the summoned puppet disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"**What's this Hina?" **Shouko asked, turning to face her former servant while Kanna panted on the ground. "**You did way better when you fought that zombie runt. Don't tell me you don't have the stomach to get serious with me?" **

Hina scowled angrily, but didn't retort. This was not looking good at all. Kanna was completely outmatched in strength, and without her familiars, she herself was as good as useless in a direct fight. She had to even out the odds somehow.

Meanwhile, Kanna got back to her feet, clutching her stomach. The spot where Shouko had hit her pulsated with pain. She shot a quick glance at Setsuna. He looked a little panicked, desperately trying to find his way through the flames. Unless he did something incredibly stupid, he should be safe for now.

"**Take a good look while you can bitch, because you'll never get your hands on him again", **Shouko said, walking forward. Moving as fast as she possibly could, Kanna lunged forward, feinted right and then went for the left. Instead of trying to hit her in the face, Kanna swung her fist at the knife that was still planted solidly in Shouko's shoulder blade. The feint was just effective enough to make Shouko miss when she tried to grab Kanna. The White princess punched the knife, causing it to twist around and severely maim Shouko's soft flesh.

Fingers around her throat. _Dammit, I was too slow again, _Kanna thought as she was lifted into the air, legs kicking wildly. She grabbed the knife's hilt, ripped it out of Shouko's shoulder, and then planted it in her throat instead.

Shouko blinked. "**Ouch", **she jeered, and pulled the knife out with ease, ignoring the blood that flowed down her chest and soaked her cloths.

_She can't even _feel _it!? Hina, Rena, do something! _

Hina was the first to act. "Hey Shouko!" She yelled as loud as possible.

Shouko turned her head reluctantly to face her former servant. "**What? You wanna surrender?" **

"Actually", Hina said, producing a tiny ball of metal from her pocket, "I want you to take a look at this." She threw the ball at Shouko, who reflexively put her unoccupied hand in front of her face. The ball didn't make it more than halfway through the air however, before it exploded in an insanely bright flash of light, blinding both Shouko and Kanna.

_Flash bang, _Kanna thought as Shouko let go of her, as she needed both hands to claw at her eyes. _Well played coz. _She could not see a single thing, but unlike Shouko, she'd known what was coming and therefore did not panic. Instead, she closed her eyes to maximize her sense of hearing and threw a punch, aiming for Shouko's face. She hit her in the throat.

Shouko hissed and lifted her own hand to punch back, but before she could do so, Rena's hands came down on her shoulders, pulling her upper body backwards. Before Shouko could as much as curse, the black princess kneed her in the backbone. Something broke.

Rena let of her and took a step to the side. Shouko's legs gave way and she collapsed on the ground without a single sound. Rena stepped over her and grabbed Kanna by the elbow, helping her back to her feet. The white princess blinked. "Did you get her?"

Nod.

"What was that? I can't see anything you dumbass! If you're going to answer then say something!"

Rena looked puzzled.

"Huh? Did you nod or not?"

Rena was about to get her exchange diary when she remembered it wouldn't help, since Kanna wouldn't be able to see what she wrote.

"Okay, tap me on the left shoulder if Shouko is down."

XXXXX

Hina sighed in relief and shot a glance at Setsuna. He was still trapped, but the flames seemed to be growing weaker. It should be easy to fix Shouko's broken back as well, once they'd removed the Banrikou from her. Everything had played out much better than she'd anticipated. _Due in no small part to me. _

It was then the villain came back for one last scare.

Rena had been so busy trying to find a way to communicate with her sister without actually using her voice that she did not even pay attention to her fallen foe.

XXXXX

Kanna's vision was half returned when she heard Rena scream. It was a sound of pure, bone-chilling agony. Kanna jumped backwards instinctively, and tripped on a rock. She fell on her back, desperately rubbing her eyes. Seconds later, she heard Hina scream as well. Looking up, her sight still unclear, she could see Shouko standing over her. She held Rena by the hair with her left hand, Hina with the other. She let them go and the two of them fell face-down on the dirt.

_How? _Kanna thought. _Rena broke her spine for god's sake! How can she already be healed!? _

Shouko wiped some blood of her face with her left hand. It was impossible to tell if it was hers or not. "**That hurt like a thumbscrew, I'll give her that. But as you can see, I'm already alright."**

_Yes, I can see that. The Banrikou has granted her an insane regeneration, making her almost immortal. If I'm going to take her down, it's going to have to be with one blow, one that she cannot possibly recover from. Time to use _that.

XXXXX

Setsuna had been watching the entire fight while trying to find his way past the flames. When Rena kneed Shouko in the spine, the flames had begun to wither, but when she rose again, they regained their intensity. Right now, with sweat running from his forehead and into his eyes, he could barely see Shouko standing over the kneeling Kanna.

_She can't be beaten. She recovered from a broken spine in mere seconds. This is my fault. If I had just been faster…_

After handing him the last arrow, the middleman had opened a portal, to Setsuna's great horror.

"How can you run away when Erionelle is fighting for her life outside!?" He'd shouted angrily.

"Simple logic my friend", the middleman had answered unapologetically. "I have to report this to the clan leader. If this goes south, we'll have to resort to more desperate means, which _will _have consequences for every man, woman and child in this country. If I were you, I'd get out there as quickly as I could."

And just like that, he was gone.

_If I'd only been faster, if I hadn't wasted time arguing, everything might be over now. _He clutched the three arrows in his hands, almost breaking the frail hafts. _Now Kanna-san is going to die because of me, along with everyone else. _

XXXXX

Shouko walked three steps and picked up a wrecked van, as if it was made of paper and not steel. "**Time to say good night bitch", **she said.

Kanna closed her eyes. _Bout time to use _that.

Being a member of the royal oni clan, she was the descendant of a long line filled with oni that had devoured the Banrikou heart before ascending to the position of clan leader and ruler of the underworld. Some of that power remained in Kanna's veins, allowing her to use the royal clan's strongest ability, ultimate mode.

A shockwave of demonic power was released from her, causing Shouko to stagger backwards. "**What the-"** That was all she had time to say before Kanna's fist collided with her face.

That one punch almost knocked her senseless, not to mention that it sent her flying into the side of the caravan, almost breaking right through it. She got to her feet unsteadily. "**What… what the hell…"**

"**Don't take me lightly, you little shit**", said a dark voice, not unlike her own. "**Taking steroids does not turn you into a warrior."**

The Kanna who was walking towards her now, looked nothing like she'd done just seconds ago. Her milky white skin had turned scarlet, and two, twisted horns had grown out of her forehead. She was emitting a demonic aura that was at least as powerful as Shouko's, if not more powerful. The white princess lifted her hands to her sides and said: "**Now you see me as I truly am kid, the one I would have become for good if I'd eaten the Banrikou heart. It's too late for that now, but I can still take my revenge, by beating the shit out of you.**"

Shouko let out a hateful growl. "**There won't be enough of you left to fill a thimble when I'm done with you, bitch.**"

Kanna crouched. "**Then come at me.**"

Shouko stormed forward, her only thought to utterly annihilate her greatest rival once and for all. She gathered all the massive, destructive power she possessed in her right fist and went to finish it with one blow. Kanna brought up both her hand to stop the incoming attack.

When their hands impacted, the bang resounded miles away. Kanna, the professional fighter, forced Shouko's hand down and hit her opponent with a backhand strike. Shouko's head was thrown back, blood flying from a fresh cut on her cheek.

"**RAAAARRRGHHH!**" Shouko went for Kanna's temple with her heel, but the white princess was way ahead of her, catching her ankle with her hand and slamming Shouko to the ground. The demonized schoolgirl gasped for air and stared up at Kanna with genuine fear for the first time since the battle had begun.

Kanna lifted her foot to stamp Shouko's face into the ground, but Shouko defended herself by hurling fireballs at her. Kanna was forced to retreat a couple of meters, giving Shouko time to recover.

XXXXX

Setsuna watched with equal amounts of horror and fascination as the two of them engaged each other. They were moving too fast for him to follow, all he could see was an unclear blur of motion, but it seemed to him that Kanna now had the advantage. Just now they had both stopped moving, but stood locked with their hands around each other's throats. For a moment, it looked like they were equally strong, but then, Kanna began to push Shouko backwards, one step, two steps, three steps. Shouko fell down on one knee, and Kanna took the opportunity to knee her in the chest. She then lifted the schoolgirl into the air and slammed her down on the ground _again. _A shockwave passed through the earth, and made Setsuna stumble.

When he looked up he saw Kanna squatting on top of Shouko, hammering her relentlessly. _She's killing her, _Setsuna realized. _This time she's really going to kill her. _He tried to find a small hole in the flaming fence to slip through, but the fire lashed out at him every time he tried to get close. He looked down at the three arrows in his hand. _Have to get these to Kanna-san somehow. _He looked up again. Once more, Shouko was just a pile of mangled flesh, but this time it did not look like she'd have the opportunity to recover.

"No, Kanna-san, not like this! You have to use these!" He waved with the arrows, but she was far too lost in her frenzy to hear him. He had to get over there, now.

Setsuna ripped off his jacket, exposing a white T-shirt, and used it to cover his face. He hesitated for a few seconds while he took a deep breath and built up his courage, and then charged through the fire. He felt the flames lick his skin as he jumped through. It hurt like hell, but the jacket protected his face from getting burnt. And just like that, he was free.

Kanna's head snapped around when she heard him howl, and her eyes widened when she saw him stumble towards her. He had dropped the jacket, but his pants were still on fire, something he did not seem to be aware of. She opened her mouth to tell the damn idiot to roll on the ground, when a dark premonition struck her. She had taken her eyes off Shouko.

Hands locked around her horns, twisting her neck backwards. _Impossible, I only took my eyes off her for a fucking second! _Nonetheless, Shouko was once again face-to-face with her, grinning evilly. "**This might hurt a bit**", she said, and broke off both her horns.

Kanna screamed and fell back, clutching her skull. Laughing maniacally, Shouko got up and kicked her in the side, sending her flying into a pile of rubbish. Setsuna shouted "NO", and tried to get over to her, but with a flash, Shouko was blocking his path. "**Can't allow you to do that, sweetheart**", she said and pushed him in his chest. He fell back on his butt. It made him clutch the arrows so hard that they broke.

Kanna's ultimate mode did not grant her superior regeneration like Shouko, but she still got back on her feet, albeit far too slow. Shouko was over her before she was ready, punching and kicking, each strike possessing the power of a car driving full speed. In a fit of rage, Kanna managed to hold her off for a while, but already she could feel the strength draining from her limbs. Her time limit had passed. She'd squandered her last chance. Just when her skin-color returned to its usual snow white, she caught a glimpse of Setsuna's face. It was bloodied and twisted in panic, but it was still as beautiful as ever.

_Well, it could have ended a lot worse, _she thought with a smile. _I could have ended up eating his heart. _Then, Shouko hit her again, knocking her senseless.

XXXXX

Shouko looked down at her most hated rival. Beaten. Defeated. The realization had just begun to dawn on her. She'd won. Setsuna was hers, and speaking of Setsuna…

She turned around to look for him and saw that he was on his hands and knees, staring at Kanna, his eyes about to flow over. She didn't like that he cried. It was his crying that had egged her on every time she'd hesitated with the bullying.

She walked over Kanna by placing her foot on her face and went over to Setsuna. Now that her bloodlust was slowly decreasing, another kind of hunger was beginning to emerge. She stopped in front of Setsuna and begun to drink him with her eyes. His slender, yet fit body, his flickering jet black hair, his brilliant blue eyes and the handsome curves of his face, all those things she'd suddenly been made aware of when he bumped into her that time.

She placed one hand beneath his chin and tilted it up gently, so that their eyes met. Suddenly, she was aware of her face's condition. All cuts and broken bones and teeth had been fixed, but her face was still full of blood and dirt. Closing her eyes in concentration, a cloak of demonic energy enveloped her for a few seconds, fixing both her cloths and her skin. Feeling clean again, she opened her eyes and smiled down at her beloved. Because she did love him. With all her heart.

"There", she said with her normal voice. "Isn't this much better? Now there's nobody around to bother us when we finally consummate our love."

Setsuna looked up at her, expressionless. "Consummate..?"

"Yes!" She whispered, placing her idle hand on his thigh, running it up and down. "I get it now, what happened that time in the storage room. You were scared right, of that bitch? That was why you rejected me, right? But it's okay now, because I'm strong. You don't need her to protect you anymore, or your sister." She moved her hand from his chin and began to caress his cheek. "Sweet Setsuna." She leaned in to kiss him.

Her lips hit his hand. Her head snapped backwards and she looked at him, confused. "Why did you do that!?" She demanded.

"Because I didn't want you to kiss me", he said dully.

She blinked. "What!?"

"I realize it now", Setsuna continued. "I should have realized it a long time ago. It is not healthy for either of us, those feelings you claim to have for me. It drove you to do all this", he motioned at the beaten, unconscious girls lying around them, "and I think it would be best for us to go our separate ways. If we continue to be around each other, it'll just hurt both of us."

Shouko had lowered her gaze while listening to this, and with her eyes cloaked with shadow, she said: "What the hell are you saying?"

"I'm asking you to just let go of me", Setsuna said slowly. "And go away. Please."

"**I don't think so.**" Her hand moved down from his cheek to his neck, where it closed around his throat. "**I don't think you understand, Setsuna. Didn't you just hear me? I… love… you, and I intend to have you.**"

She pushed him down on his back, her hand still around her throat, grabbed his T-shirt and ripped it off. A cold wind made him tremble, a sight which calmed her anger and ignited her lust. She bowed down, opened her mouth and placed the tip of her tongue on his navel, something that made him squirm. It tasted surprisingly salty, probably because of all the sweat. She moved her tongue up his stomach, to his chest, where it hovered around his left nipple for a few seconds, until her mouth closed around it.

"hhhnnnggghh!" Setsuna protested, but she paid him no heed, lost as she was in pleasure. She unbuttoned her jacket and cupped one of her breasts under her bra, massaging her nipple. _He'll be doing that for me soon. _Moving further up, her tongue touched the tip of his chin lightly before it reached his mouth, where it went on an all-out assault, thrusting past his lips. He bit her tongue, drawing blood. Compared to what she'd already gone through the last hour, it barely hurt though. On the contrary, the thought of her blood filling his mouth cavity made her even more excited.

She moved one of her hands down to his flies, which she quickly unzipped. The thought of his manhood made her face flush as her fingers slipped under his boxer shorts. Then she froze. _What the… no reaction!? _She twisted her head around to see with her own eyes. It was true, no hard-on.

She let go of his throat, so that she could speak. "**What the hell is wrong with you today!? Are you drugged or something!?**"

He looked up at her with that impassive look Rena usually wore. "I told you. I don't want you."

She violently punched the ground beside his head, creating a mini-crater. "**DON'T FUCK WITH ME! All men get excited when someone plays with them! What the hell is wrong with you!**"

Her head snapped up, and once again she was aware of Kanna. "**It's that bitch, isn't it!? She's always ruining things! I'll fucking kill her!**"

She rose.

"No you won't."

Something stung on the side of her thigh. She looked down. Setsuna had planted a broken arrow in her flesh. The arrowhead had only barely pierced her skin, but she could feel some strange paralysis spread out from it. Her legs gave way, and she fell down on her hands. A scorching pain was suddenly pulsating in her heart, and her vision began to fail. Looking to her side, she saw that Setsuna had gotten to his feet, looking down on her with pity. Pity! She stretched out one hand, grasping desperately for his face, but it was too far. She wanted to scream, but no sound would pass her lips.

_No, you won't cast me aside again. Not for __**her**__! _Shecollected the last remnant of her fading, demonic powers in her hand, and sent it out in the form of lightening. The blue electrostatic discharge hit him in the chest. She regretted what she'd done almost before the lightening impacted, and panic rose up in her as she saw him stagger backwards, clutching his chest. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, sorry for everything. But she had no strength left. She fainted while looking at him, not knowing it would be the last time she saw him. Ever.

Setsuna fell down on his knees. The sound of his heart resounded in his ears. He could smell burnt flesh. His flesh. He wanted to shout out for help, from Kanna, from Rena, from Erionelle, from his sister, hell, even from the middleman, but he was already in the darkness.

**AN: And thus, only the epilogues remain. I'll try to get them out as soon as possible. Once again, merry Christmas! **


	12. Epilogue

**AN: Holy shit, finally done. Gotta say, it took some time to finish this last chapter. **

As he lay dying, Setsuna began reminiscing his life.

When his father died, Setsuna was really too young to completely understand what'd happened. He did not remember his father at all, and were it not for that faded photography of him and their mother on their wedding day that Mirei had placed in the living room, he wouldn't even have known how he looked like.

Setsuna did not remember the funeral either. He remembered Mirei crying in the bathroom afterwards, in an attempt to hide how desperate and lonely she felt, being completely alone in the world with a younger brother to take care of. That was, in fact, his earliest memory. The next thing he remembered was Mirei walking him to kindergarten the next morning, chatting happily. To his dying day, Setsuna would love his sister for all that she'd done for him.

When Setsuna's heart condition was discovered, Setsuna had been pretty quick to accept the fact that he would probably not live to see his thirtieth birthday, due to the insanely high cost of his treatment, which he knew Mirei would never be able to afford, no matter how many times she promised him.

Then there was school, which had not bothered him at all until high school, and he bumped into Shouko. Being constantly harassed by her hadn't really been the worst thing about his childhood. The knowledge of how Mirei was basically giving up on a life of her own for his sake had been much worse, but it hadn't exactly helped him either.

Hearing his sister being threatened by the lone sharks had just been the last straw, really.

What could the odds have been, he wondered, for the middleman to come along just when he did? A suicide is committed every thirty seconds. That is 2800 a day. More than a million every year. Yet the middleman had picked him, offering him an opportunity to let his death serve a purpose.

_And it did_, he thought as he sank deeper into the muddy blackness. _My sister won't have to worry about debt anymore, Kanna, Erionelle, Rena and Hina will be okay, and Shouko is healed. Once I'm gone, they'll have no reason to fight anymore. _

On the other hand, would Kanna just let Shouko walk away from this, even if it was technically not her fault? Not likely. It saddened him, but the truth was that Shouko would probably be following him soon, as soon as either Kanna or Erionelle awoke. They would probably stop if he asked them to, but he would be in no position to do so.

It was a strange feeling, sinking down into the darkness. He had not expected it to be so slow. He had never really believed in an afterlife, not even after learning of the existence of demons, and had always thought it'd be all over when he closed his eyes. Instead he found himself drifting, no longer a physical form with arms and legs, just a small light of thought in an ocean of nothingness. On the other hand, there was no pain.

_Is this death? Is this really what comes after? Or am I not yet dead? _He wanted that to be true. More than anything, he wanted to live, because for the first time in years, he had a reason to.

He began to try to push back against the darkness, to rise up, to reach for the light, but he was stuck in web. And how do you rise up without a body? He ceased his effort in resignation. You cannot fight death.

This is not fair.

_When is the world ever fair? _Asked a voice that sounded a little like middleman.

I didn't do anything to deserve this.

_So? _

It just feels so… wasted. I think I could have done something better with my life now. I've learned my lesson. I gave up that day, on the bridge, just stopped fighting.

_You didn't have to die, you chose to yourself. _Shouko.

I don't think that is true.

_I loved you, Setsuna, from the moment I first saw you. I couldn't let anyone else take you away. _

I don't blame you. But I didn't choose to die either.

_You were doomed from the moment you befriended those monsters. _

I don't think that is true either.

_I didn't want it end like this. _

Of course not. But whatever love you felt for me was not healthy for either of us in the end. Perhaps it is for the best that the two of us part ways now. Just promise me this: If Kanna or Erionelle don't kill you, turn your life around. I think you can become a really great person if you set your mind to it. Do it for both of us. Live for both of us.

_Setsuna…_

Good bye, Shouko.

XXXXX

At first, when the pain started to emerge, Setsuna thought he was entering hell, and panicked. It went a long time before he realized that if he could feel pain, then he must have body. And if he had a body, he should also have eyes. He opened them.

White ceiling. No sound.

"Ah, the fallen hero returns from the land of the dead. Did you see anything interesting?"

Setsuna turned his head to the side. "You."

"Indeed," said the middleman, once again dressed like a doctor. He sat on a simple chair with his legs crossed, beside Setsuna's bed.

"Where am I?"

"The hospital. Not the one that got blown up yesterday, the other one."

"How did I get here? Why am I still alive? I thought Shouko…"

"Oh, so it _was _her that put you down. Let me guess, a lightning strike?"

Setsuna frown. "I think so…. Did you save me?"

"Indeed I did. I returned thirty minutes later, along with twenty other members of the royal clan, to contain the situation, just to find the six of you lying there in the dirt. Your heart was barely beating. Had it been your old heart, I would've stood no chance to save you."

Setsuna pushed himself up on his elbows. "Where are the others? Are they okay?"

"Sleeping in the hallway outside mostly. They are made of tougher meat than you are, my young friend. The red princess is watching over the human girl."

"So Shouko is back to normal?"

"Yes, but since she woke up five hours ago, it's become apparent that she's suffering from amnesia. It seems she's forgotten all about demons and magic… and you."

"She's forgotten me?"

"Yup. I made sure to ask her about you specifically. Not a single recollection."

"I see," Setsuna said, lowering his head back down on the pillow.

"Her father is flying in this afternoon. He'll be taking her to America."

"That's nice."

"You don't intend to talk to her?"

"No."

"Not even to say goodbye?"

"I already have."

The middleman raised an eyebrow but did not pursue the topic any further. "Well then, I suppose we have you to thank for evading this catastrophe. The clan chief sends her regards."

"I didn't really do anything."

The middleman just smiled and steadied his monocle. "Say what you will, you did good out there, boy. Now, I believe there are some ladies behind that door that will rejoice when they hear you're awake." He kicked the entrance door open. "Ladies, time to wake up!"

Setsuna heard a loud commotion in the hallway outside, and took a look at his watch, which somehow had survived yesterday's events. It showed 07:13 with numbers that glowed faintly in the dim light. A moment later, Kanna, Rena, Erionelle and Mirei all appeared in the doorway at the same time, where they got stuck for a few seconds, while they tried to push themselvs ahead. Kanna was ultimately victorious, pushing both Erionelle and Rena back, before rushing over to Setsuna's bed, where she quickly got down on one knee and grabbed his closest hand with both of hers. "Setsuna, are you okay?"

Erionelle was next, her black eyes filled with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Then came Rena, with a shiny, new exchange diary. "If you're feeling down, I can give you a massage. I know both Tui na and Shiatsu."

"_Brother!" _Mirei yelled with teary eyes, catching him in a hug so tight that he swore he could hear his neck crackle. He pushed her back. "Sister, what are you doing here!?"

She eyed him, surprised, and a little offended. "What are you talking about!? You're my brother! Of course I'd visit you in the hospital after you were in a car accident!"

"Care acci-," Setsuna begun, but broke off when he saw Kanna, Rena and Erionelle nod frantically behind Mirei's back. "Oh yes, now I remember! I got hit by a… uh…" He looked to Kanna for help.

"By a van on your way home from Erionelle here", Kanna said, patting Erionelle on the back. "Don't you remember? Yesterday you spent the evening with Erionelle to help her with her studies, because she's so dense when it comes to math."

Erionelle opened her mouth indignantly, probably to protest that last part, but Rena elbowed her in the ribs before she could say a word. Setsuna laughed nervously. "Right, that's exactly right. _Now _I remember."

"I rushed over here as quick as I could", Mirei continued, hugging him tightly again. "I was so scared. Don't ever do this to me again, Setsuna."

He stroke her head affectionately. "Promise."

In the corner of his eye, he saw the middleman sneak out of the room. He had turned his coat inside out, and was now wearing his usual black and white attire. With a snap of his fingers, a top hat produced itself out of thin air. The tall, blonde oni lifted the brim of his hat with two fingers, sending Setsuna a wry smile, before turning around and disappearing down the hallway.

XXXXX

Setsuna was discharged from the hospital already that same afternoon. On his way out, he caught a glimpse of Shouko in her hospital bed. She was chatting happily with her father, an older, gray-haired man in a business suit. He was happy to see them get along.

Hina joined them once they got outside. It was obvious to Setsuna that she was distressed. After all, she and Shouko _ had _grown close during their time together, but that was over now. Apparently, Shouko was lucky to be alive, as demon law demanded the death of any human who defiled the Banrikou, but it appeared that Hina had persuaded Kanna and Rena to band together with her in Shouko's defense. Setsuna was glad for that as well. After all, what she'd done hadn't really been her fault.

When they finally came home, all six of them(Erionelle took Shouko's usual seat) enjoyed Mirei's cooking over the dinner table.

"Geez," Kanna moaned after having consumed enough food to sustain a small family for a week. "I sure as hell am glad that ordeal is over. Too bad we lost the Banrikou. It'll take decades for the elders to make another potion." She was the last to finish her meal. Mirei had already left the table to start the dish-washing.

"And in the meantime," Erionelle added, "my clan finally have the opportunity to ascend."

Kanna sent her a wry look. "Who asked you to come along?"

"Now that the Banrikou heart has been neutralized, my mission is over, which means that I'm free to do what I want." She looked at Setsuna. "And what I want is to be with him."

Setsuna did not know how to respond to that. Fortunately for him, Kanna did.

"Hey now!" Kanna growled, pushing herself up from the table. "That's not going to happen."

Erionelle looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Why would you care? Setsuna no longer possesses the Banrikou heart, and is thus of no interest to you."

Kanna was about to bite back, but stopped at the last moment, a faint flush creeping up her neck. What should she say? That she herself had fallen for Setsuna weeks before Erionelle appeared for the first time? That she herself wanted Setsuna just as much as Erionelle did? Did she have the guts to confess right here, right now.

_Come on you pussy, you nearly got killed last night, didn't you? This is nothing. _She opened her mouth again, drawing a deep breath. "I-"

"Anybody who wants dessert?" Mirei asked, standing in the doorway. All attention was shifted to her immediately.

"That would be great," said a relived Setsuna, who had not been comfortable with the turn the conversation was taking.

"Do you have strawberry ice cream?" Hina asked hopefully.

"Something with chocolate for me, please," Rena wrote.

"Whatever you bring us, make sure to keep it away from Kanna, she's fat enough already," Erionelle said, expressionless.

Kanna crunched the cup in her hand. "You little…"

Setsuna, sensing what was coming, jumped to his feet and hurried past his sister. "Sis, I'll help you. We always make you do all the work."

Both Erionelle's and Kanna's eyes blinked like stars. Chance.

"I'll help too!" Kanna shouted, sending her chair flying in her haste to follow.

"As a guest of this household, it is my duty to assist," Erionelle proclaimed, standing up.

_Can't believe that actually worked, _Setsuna thought as the two oni princesses raced each other to the freezer.

XXXXX

Hina exited the house an hour later, while the others were busy talking. No one had noticed her stealing away, or at least she thought so.

"Going somewhere?"

She turned around. Setsuna was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down on her. She sent him a sad smile.

"Yes, back home. Now that all this business with the succession has come to a temporary conclusion, I should be able to finally become a real sage."

Setsuna nodded. "I see. I'm happy for you."

They both remained silent for a minute.

"Do you think Shouko will be fine?" Hina finally asked. "With her father I mean."

Setsuna sighed. "I don't know. I know nothing of why she was estranged in the first place. But they seemed to get along in the hospital."

"Yeah, they did."

Another minute of silence.

"So, I guess this is goodbye," Hina finally said.

Setsuna walked down three steps, so that he stood directly in front of her. He gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you Hina. Without you here, things would not have turned out well."

Suddenly, Hina was thankful for the darkness, since it hid her blush. "Nah, you did way more than me, you and Shouko both."

Setsuna went down on one knee and hugged her. She allowed herself the comfort of his warm embrace for several seconds, before she pushed him away. Somehow, this felt like a betrayal to Shouko. "You should go back inside, before Kanna and Erionelle come to investigate."

Setsuna made a sound, something in between a sigh and a chuckle. "I guess you're right." He ruffled her hair. "Come see us sometime. I'd like to see that stone you were all about." And with that, he turned and walked back up the steps, without turning once.

She looked at him until he was gone. When he was, she sighed. "Yare, yare, when did you become so charming Setsuna? I think I'm beginning to understand why Shouko _really _was attracted to you." Smiling, she turned around, and disappeared in the darkness.

XXXXX

When night finally fell upon them, Erionelle was lodged with Kanna and Rena in their room, despite Kanna's fervent protests. To his surprise, Setsuna found that Rena had little against it. It seemed like she and Erionelle was steady on the road to becoming friends.

_Now that I think about it, I guess they're somewhat alike, _he thought as he stripped down to his underwear in his own room. _What's going to happen now I wonder? _Kanna and Rena had not shown any inkling of wanting to leave. He lay down, rested his head against the pillow and closed his eyes. No choice, he would have to have a real conversation with them all next morning. But first he would rest. It felt like it had been months, if not years, since he'd just lied down.

He remained so for a couple of minutes, gradually growing sleepier, until the door to his room opened with a creak. His eyes flew open, and he got up on one elbow, staring at the person in the doorway. It was Kanna, dressed in her usual white and blue dress.

"Can we talk?" She asked, sounding almost nervous.

He nodded wordlessly.

She closed the door behind her and sat down in front of him, hands on her thighs. "We haven't had the opportunity to speak privately since we got back home," she began.

He nodded again.

"So…", she continued, hesitating, fidgeting.

"Are you going to leave now?" Setsuna asked out of the blue. Just blurted it out. It had been on his mind the entire day.

"No, of course not!" Kanna protested.

"But why not? It is as Erionelle said, I no longer have the Banrikou heart."

"I don't give a shit about that stupid heart!", Kanna almost shouted. "I never did! I only agreed to participating in this test because I wanted to see the human world and because I couldn't let my younger sister get ahead!"

That surprised Setsuna. "You mean you never wanted to be the clan leader?"

"Well, part of me wanted to, but to be honest I don't know if I'd even make a good leader. I don't have the coolest and most patient mind, you know?" She smiled.

"I don't know," Setsuna said with a wry smile. "I think you'd certainly have made an _interesting _chief, Kanna."

"Fuck you," she said playfully, slapping him gently on the side of his arm. Then she noticed something. "Hey, since when did you drop the honorifics?"

Setsuna frowned. "Oh, uhm, I hadn't noticed. Since… today I guess." Suddenly he was a little nervous. "I'm sorry if I offended you, I know you're a princess and all."

"Dummy," she said, leaning closer. "We're family. Family shouldn't use honorifics."

"Is that why you're staying? Since we're family now?"

Kanna remained silent for a long time, then looked the other way. "Do you remember when I drank that love potion?"

_Here it comes. _"I do."

"And do you remember what happened at the hot springs? What I said to you?"

Setsuna swallowed. "I do. I wasn't sure if you did."

"Well, I do," Kanna said. "I remember my promise. And because of that there's something I wanna try." She started to fidget again, and blushing too. "Ehm, could you please close your eyes for a second?"

Setsuna swallowed again. "Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Ok, ok," he said hastily, closing his eyes.

He felt his palms become sweaty almost instantly. For a minute, he could not hear a single sound, while Kanna built up her courage. The first thing he felt was her fingertips, caressing his cheeks so lightly that it might just as well have been a mild, summer breeze. And speaking of breezes, the next thing he felt was her breath, _so _warm. And intoxicating. He had to steel himself to not quiver.

Lips met.

It was only for the shortest of seconds, but it was enough for him to taste her. He opened his eyes, staring into two red irises, only a few centimeters from his face. Kanna's mouth was half open, and her face was filled with warm blood.

"Oh," she said slowly. "So that is how it tastes like."

"Indeed," said a monotonous behind and above her.

The white princess Kanna of the royal oni clan was anything but jumpy, but when she heard that, she started like a cat who'd just had a firecracker thrown between its legs. She whirled around.

"I expected you to try something behind my back," Erionelle stated. She was in demon form again, and the tip of a newly restored longsword was only an inch from Kanna's throat. "But I did not expect you to act this quickly. It's a good thing I decided to sleep with one eye open. I will not allow you to steal Setsuna's chastity after I was almost killed to protect it."

"Who is stealing what now?" Kanna growled, rising. "If you want to fight it out, I'd be glad to follow you outside."

"No!" Setsuna hissed. "No fighting here! Mirei is sleeping down the hall, and she doesn't know anything!"

And speaking of the devil, just as he uttered her name he heard her voice in the hall outside: "Setsuna? What's up with all this racket?"

Setsuna panicked immediately. "Hide!" He mouthed, waving with his arms. Erionelle acted at once, her long sword disappearing with a puff of black smoke. She dived under a desk, where she went down on her knees, perfectly still. Kanna was more unwilling, but when Setsuna fell on his knees and clasped his hands together, she sighed and hid behind a curtain. Setsuna barely had the time to get back under his eiderdown before his sister opened the door to his room.

Mirei was in her nightgown, staring at him suspiciously with sleepy eyes. "Setsuna, what is going on in her? You were not doing something inappropriate, were you?"

"No!" Setsuna protested loudly, to drown out the sound of Kanna's snicker. "I'm sorry sis, it was just me coughing. It seems like I've caught a fever."

"Oh no!" Mirei exclaimed, hurrying over to him to feel his forehead. "Oh my, you're _so _warm!" This made Kanna snicker again, though this time she had the presence of mind to cover her mouth with her hand.

"It must be because of the accident somehow," Mirei continued. "Do you need anything, a blanket or some hot milk?"

"I'm fine," Setsuna said, eager to get her out of the room as soon as possible. "I just need a little rest, is all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes, I'll be just fine tomorrow."

"Ok," she said, bowing down and kissing him lightly on the head. "You know where I am if you need me."

"I know, sis." _You've always been there. _He gave her a quick hug, and then she finally left the room.

Kanna and Erionelle then both exited their hiding places, walking up to each other, breast to breast, like to wrestlers before a championship match.

"Right now or tomorrow kid?" Kanna murmured, careful not to alert Mirei again.

"Ready when you are, white princess Kanna," Erionelle answered.

"_Please, _no fighting," Setsuna said, forcing himself between them. "We can talk about this like adults."

"I don't see what there is to talk about," Erionelle said coldly. "The white princess has offended my honor by acting unseemly with _my _fiancée. Demon law demands a battle to the death."

Setsuna sweat dropped.

Kanna snorted. "First, I can crush you with my little finger, you little bitch, and secondly, what the hell do you mean _fiancée_?"

"I conquered Setsuna's lips before you did, and I saved him from certain death by sacrificing one of my closest servants. Surely that makes him mine."

"_Hell no!" _

They all started when the door to his room was opened again. Thankfully, it was Rena and not Mirei standing in the doorway. She held up her exchange diary. "A responsible wife would never bother her man like this, nor keep him awake when he needs to rest. You two should follow his wishes and return to bed."

Setsuna clasped his hands together again and bowed. "Thank you, Rena-san!"

"Hey, why are you using honorifics with _her _again all of a sudden?" Kanna protested. "Does that mean you respect her more?"

"Of course he does," Rena wrote. "After all, I am the most dependable of us."

"Screw you," Kanna grunted. "Fine, we'll decide on this tomorrow." She looked at Erionelle and motioned at the door. "After you."

Erionelle bowed quickly to Setsuna. "I shall see you again in the morning." Setsuna thought he saw a funny flash in her eyes for a second, as he gazed into them, but then it was gone and he was not sure he'd seen it at all.

"Okay, that's it, we're going," Kanna growled, grabbing Erionelle by the collar and dragging her out of the room. Rena closed the door after them, and Setsuna was once again left alone with his thoughts.

_My god, _he thought, creeping back under his eiderdown. _And here I thought life would be peaceful from now on. _That was a dumb thought however. Life would never be peaceful as long as he lived under the same roof as a bunch of oni princesses. A wry smile formed on his lips. _But who needs peace when you got a family such as this? _

XXXXX

When Kanna awoke the next morning, her white hair in a tangle, dribble dripping from her chin. She knew instantly that something was wrong. First of all, Erionelle was not in the room. The second giveaway was the fact that she could not smell the aroma of breakfast, nor hear the sound of Mirei humming in the kitchen. In fact, there was not a single sound to be heard, aside from Rena's soft breathing. _Oh, fuck! _

She jumped to her feet and rushed to Setsuna's room. Empty. Fucking _empty! _She looked in every room, something that took only a couple of seconds due to the small size of the apartment. Neither Setsuna, Mirei, or Erionelle could be found.

"Fuck!" Kanna yelled again, darting back into her bedroom to kick Rena awake. "Wake up you sloth, everyone's gone!"

Rena sat up slowly, looking around with a bemused, inquiring look. "What's going on?" She asked through her exchange diary.

"What do you think is going on!?" That was meant as a rhetorical question, but Rena answered nonetheless.

"You're having your period early?"

Kanna smacked her on the top of the head, causing her face to smash into the ground. "No, I'm not having my period you fucking idiot!"

She left Rena to tend to her wounds and started searching around for clues. She did not have to look for long. In the living room, on the table where they'd enjoyed Mirei's cooking the night before, lay a small, white envelope. Kanna ripped it open and shook out its contents. A single, polaroid snapshot fell out. Kanna picked it up.

It showed two people, Setsuna and Erionelle. Setsuna seemed to be fine but was obviously unconscious. He lay one the ground, his head resting on Erionelle's chest. She on the other hand, rested her chin upon Setsuna's head, her arms across his chest, pressing him against her. She was looking directly at the camera, no, directly at _Kanna, _smiling. That kind of smile you show to your most hated enemy in the world when you have him pinned on the ground and the tip of a knife against his eyeball. If eyes could set things aflame, the picture would have been reduced to ash in seconds.

Rena entered the room, a Band-Aid attached to the top of her nose. "It appears that Erionelle have kidnapped Setsuna again," she wrote.

"You wouldn't say," Kanna said, crunching the polaroid in her hand. "Pack your things, sister, we're going hunting."

**Meanwhile, some eighty kilometers away…**

When the sedatives finally stopped working, Setsuna found himself in a train compartment, his head resting against something soft and warm, which he realized was Erionelle's thighs, when she leaned down and kissed him on the mouth. This kiss was nothing like the one they'd shared in the old factory. This time, she forced her tongue into his mouth, sliding it from side to side. She held him there for almost a minute, mumbling his name every time their lips parted. When she finally let go, he was almost out of breath.

He jerked up into a sitting position and stared out of the compartment window. It was daybreak outside, the reborn Ra was just beginning his long climb, which would end with his death as he disappeared in the horizon to the west. The landscape was unknown to him, but then again, Setsuna had never been outside of the city where he'd been born, so he had no way of knowing how far they'd travelled.

He looked to the right, and was shocked to see Mirei lying on the opposite bench, her head resting on a pillow. "Sister!" He yelled in concern and hurried to bow over her. He was relieved to find that she was still breathing, but he could not wake her up, no matter how hard he tried.

"It's no use," Erionelle said, sliding her hands around his chest. "You'll have to wait for the potion's effect to wear off, and that won't happen before at least twelve more hours have passed."

"Why?" Setsuna asked. "Why are we on this train? Where are Kanna and Rena?"

"Back home, about to wake up, no doubt. Don't worry, I've made sure they'll know _exactly _what I did."

"Which is kidnapping me again?" Setsuna asked indignantly. "Along with Mirei?"

She looked down at him, smiling uncharacteristically. "That is what we oni do. Kanna and Rena would have done the exact same thing in my place. It is once again a battle for your heart, Kashiwagi Setsuna, though not quite like last time."

"But why did you kidnap Mirei as well!?"

She let one hand slide down his chest. "I know how much you care for one another. It would be cruel to separate you, and besides, where we're going, she won't have to work, ever again. She'll be free to do whatever she wants, now that you're no longer dependent on her."

_Where we're going… _"But… where ARE we going!?"

"To Adenbulk," she whispered into his ear. "To the western oni world, my home. This train is taking us to some ancient ruins on the southern coast, where a gateway between the worlds are located. We'll have to use that now, when I no longer have Cecily by my side."

"A-adenbulk," Setsuna stuttered.

"That's right," Erionelle said, dropping down on one knee. "Now, for the main event." She produced a small, black box from a pocket.

_Oh god, _Setsuna thought. This was possibly the most surreal event of his life, and that was saying something, considering all his experiences the last year.

"I wasn't aware of human customs when I first called you my fiancée, I did not know that there are rituals you have to preform," Erionelle said as she opened the box. The ring was made of some strange, dark metal, completely unfamiliar to Setsuna, crowned with a purple amethyst. Looking at her hand, he saw that Erionelle was wearing an identical ring.

"Where… where did you get this?" He whispered. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry he'd ever seen.

"The middleman. He said that if I _had _to ignite a war between the clans, I might as well do it with style."

_That man… _Setsuna thought, shaking his head.

"So, Kashiwagi Setsuna, will you take me as your wife?"

Setsuna's face temperature went through the roof. "How... how can I answer when you ask me that so suddenly!?"

"Isn't that the point of proposals?"

"Well… yeah, but… but… we've only known each other for like two days!"

"What does it matter when I love you?"

"But you haven't even asked _me _if I love _you _yet!"

She looked at him intently, with eyes as black as a starless night. "Okay then. Do you love me?"

_How did it end up like this? _"I… don't know. You saved my life, and we've been through so much over such a little period of time, to be honest, I don't know what I feel for you, I mean, I think I could love you, if I had some time, I mean, you're beautiful and have a great personality and all, but…" His voice trailed off.

"I'll take that as a yes," Erionelle said, pushing the ring up his finger. Setsuna could only gape down at it. This was definitely the most surreal event of his life.

Erionelle got up, sat down and nuzzled up to him. "I wish Lillith could have seen this," she murmured.

Setsuna looked at the sleeping Mirei, then at Erionelle, then down at his ring, and then back to Mirei again.

_Sister, _he thought. _It looks like life's going to be even _more _interesting from now on. _

**AN: Here's the final result of the poll: **

**Erionelle with six votes **

**Kanna with five **

**Rena and Shouko with two votes each**

**That would make Erionelle the winner, so she gets the prize(for now), something that pleases immensely, since she was my favorite(I swear that that last vote that made her the winner wasn't mine). **

**Now to comment on this story. It's been a pleasure to write it, even though I would have liked to make it longer, but I have to get back to my main stories.**

**Originally, I planned to make Rena eat the heart at the hospital, making her the final antagonist, but somehow it seemed better to make Shouko do it. I know that I gave Shouko some bad treatment(sorry, fans of Shouko), but every story needs a villain, you know. I also realize that I gave Rena very little screen time compared to the other oni princesses(sorry, fans of Rena, you should have created fake accounts to bend the poll to your favour). **

**If you find the time, I'd consider it a personal favour if you wrote a small comment on my story, telling me what you like and what you didn't like so much. I don't care if you post it as a review or send me a private message, the main reason I'm on this site is to improve my writing skills, and it's much easier to do that when I receive some constructive criticism from time to time. **

**Also, I've petitioned the managers for an Onihime VS category, but haven't gotten an answer. Perhaps if you guys send in a request as well, they'd be more likely to listen. I'd very much like to put this story in the category where it belongs. **

**Last but not least, let me just say that this is not a definitive end for this story. I might continue it one day, should I get the time. In the meantime, I'd very much like to read a Onihime VS fanfic written by any of you, and review it, since these character deserve far more life than Im Dal Young decided to grant them. **

**Thank you for reading this, and goodbye(for now)! **


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